THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


B.  0.  BAKER 
LAWYER 

DALLAS,  TEXAS 


ONE  HUNDRED 


TO 


SHOKTEAND  STUDENTS. 


COMPILATION  OF  IMPORTANT  FACTS  RELATING  TO 
EVERY  BRANCH  OF  THE  STUDY  AND  PRAC- 
TICE OF  SHORTHAND  WRITING. 


SPECIALLY  ARRANGED  FOR  STUDENTS,  TEACHERS, 
YOUNG  REPORTERS  OF  ALL  SYSTEMS. 


BY 

SELBY  A.  MOEAN, 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MICHIGAN, 

THE  STENOGRAPHIC 
ANN  ARBOR. 


THIRD  EDITION. 


ANN  ARBOR,  MICHIGAN : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOE. 

1890. 


COPYRIGHT,  1886, 
BY  SELBY  A.  MORAN. 


ALL  BIGHTS  RESERVED. 


•  ANN  ARBOR  REGISTER  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 


PREFACE. 


It  may  seem  presumptuous  on  the  part  of  the  author  to 
place  before  the  public  a  work  of  this  kind  when  there  are 
so  many  others  whose  more  varied  experience  far  better 
fits  them  for  such  an  undertaking. 

Feeling,  however,  that  others  who  have  written  works 
relating  to  Shorthand  have  almost  wholly  neglected  to  ren- 
der to  the  student  and  young  reporter  the  special  help 
which  this  little  volume  is  intended  to  give,  and  believing 
that  there  is  a  real  demand  for  a  work  of  this  kind,  the 
author  makes  no  further  apology  for  its  appearance. 

The  aim  of  this  work  is  to  render  assistance  to  students 
of  all  systems  of  Shorthand  by  a  series  of  suggestions  con- 
cerning  important  facts  only  a  few  of  which  have  ever 
found  a  place  in  any  text-book,  yet  facts  which  every  stu- 
dent  should  keep  constantly  in  mind.  As  such,  it  is  be- 
lieved  that  it  will  prove  especially  serviceable  to  that  large 
class  of  students  who  are  undergoing  a  course  of  self- 
instruction.  Since  that  which  has  been  written  heretofore, 
in  the  same  line  of  the  present  work,  has  been  confined 
almost  wholly  to  court  and  newspaper  reporting,  more 
attention  is  given  to  amanuensis  reporting,  a  new  branch 
of  the  profession  which  has,  of  late  years,  far  outstripped 
all  the  others,  both  in  its  numbers  and  requirements. 

Simplicity  of  expression  has  been  kept  constantly  in 
"view,  that  the  book  may  be  used  by  the  student  for  general 


PBEFACE. 

dictation  work  as  soon  as  all  the  principles  are  learned. 
It  is  hoped  that,  in  this  way,  it  will  serve  a  double  purpose ; 
not  only  to  give  the  student  many  valuable  hints  in  regard 
to  his  study  and  practice,  but  also  to  furnish  suitable 
material  for  speed  work,  whereby  facts  which  every  Short- 
hand student  should  know  may  be  fixed  more  firmly  in 
mind. 

That  the  contents  of  this  little  volume  may  assist  that 
large  number  of  young  men  and  women  who  are  deter- 
mined to  win  success  in  the  practice  of  this  beautiful  art, 
is  earnestly  hoped. 

To  the  many  kind  friends  who  have  so  freely  placed  at 
his  disposal  the  valuable  lessons  learned  in  their  long  ex- 
perience as  reporters,  and  especially  to  that  one  who,  by 
constant  encouragement,  has  proven  an  inspiring  genius, 
not  only  in  this,  but  also  in  other  and  more  difficult  under- 
takings, this  work  is  respectfully  inscribed  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 

STENOGRAPHIC  INSTITUTE 

Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  May,  1886. 


NOTE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


When  the  first  edition  of  this  little  book  was  placed 
before  the  public,  it  was  with  some  feeling  of  uncertainty 
as  to  whether  there  was  need  of  such  a  work.  That  there 
should  be  a  demand  for  a  second  edition  almost  within  a 
twelvemonth  after  the  first  was  published,  is  certainly  more 
than  the  author  expected.  It  plainly  shows  that  there  is  a 
demand  for  a  work  of  this  kind,  and  to  supply  this  demand 

a  new  edition  is  offered  to  the  public. 

S.  A.  M. 

STENOGRAPHIC  INSTITUTE,  September,  1887. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Shorthand  is  a  beautiful  theory  and  a  successful  art  as 
well.  To  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  theory  is  one  thing, 
to  put  this  theory  into  practice  is  another. 

The  text-books  on  the  various  systems  of  Shorthand 
writing  have  given  a  general  explanation  of  the  principles 
of  these  systems,  but  have  omitted  many  important  facts 
relative  to  learning  the  art,  and  are  almost  entirely  silent 
upon  the  practical  application  of  Shorthand.  In  present- 
ing these  facts  which  are  intended  to  cover  this  neglected 
part  of  the  student's  work,  it  has  been  thought  best  to 
arrange  them  in  the  following  order: 

I.     Suggestions  for  students  before  beginning  the  study. 

I— XVII. 

II.     Suggestions  for  students  while  pursuing  the  study. 
XVIII— XLY. 

III.     Suggestions  concerning  the  necessity  of  learning  to 
read  Shorthand. 

XLVI— L. 

IV.     Suggestions  relative  to  increasing  speed. 
LI— LIX. 

V.     Suggestions  for  the  Amanuensis. 
LX— LXXII. 

VL     Suggestions  for  Court,  Newspaper,  Convention,  and 
Speech  Keporters. 

LXXIII— LXXXIIL 


INTBODUCTION 

VIL     General  Suggestions  for  all  Reporters. 
LXXXIV— C. 

The  student  who  will  give  a  little  careful  attention  to  the 
suggestions  coming  under  the  first  heading  may  be  assured 
that  his  chances  of  success  in  learning  the  art  will  be  much 
greater  than  if  he  were  left  to  depend  entirely  upon  his 
own  resources. 

During  the  course  of  his  study  he  will  receive  much  real 
help  from  the  suggestions  under  the  second,  third,  and 
fourth  headings.  By  applying  them  in  practice  to  those 
points  to  which  they  refer,  the  study  will  prove  much  more 
interesting  and  far  better  results  will  be  obtained. 

Under  the  heading  for  Amanuensis  Keporters,  the  stu- 
dent will  receive  some  very  material  assistance.  These 
suggestions  carefully  followed  out,  will  save  many  disa- 
greeable experiences  to  the  young  reporter  and  enable  him 
to  do  much  more  satisfactory  work. 

So  much  has  been  written  upon  the  different  branches  of 
reporting  given  under  the  sixth  heading  that  but  two  or 
three  suggestions  are  devoted  to  each  of  them.  In  these 
are  given  those  points  which  will  prove  of  the  greatest  help 
to  the  reporter  who  aspires  to  success  in  any  of  these  lines 
of  work. 

In  the  last  division,  under  the  heading  of  General  Sug- 
gestions, have  been  grouped  those  hints  which  reporters  in 
any  branch  of  the  profession  will  find  it  advantageous  to 
know. 


ONE  HUNDEED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

TO 

SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 


I.     Have  Faith  in  Shorthand.* 

There  is  probably  no  other  one  thing  that  has  caused  so 
many  people  to  fail  in  their  endeavors  to  become  reporters 
as  a  lack  of  confidence  in  Shorthand.  Too  often  we  hear 
beginners  say :  "  I  will  try  it  and  see  whether  I  can  suc- 
ceed or  not."  The  young  man  or  woman,  who,  after  seeing 
that  thousands  of  others  have  made  a  success  of  Shorthand, 
cannot  say,  "  I  will  succeed,"  had  better  not  spend  time  or 
money  upon  it,  or,  in  fact,  upon  anything  else  that  requires 
a  little  study  and  application. 

To  become  a  fair  reporter  is  no  Herculean  task  demand- 
ing the  work  of  years,  and  then  to  be  acquired  by  only  a 
"born  few." 

Shorthand  has  been  greatly  improved  of  late  years,  and 
is  based  upon  real  scientific  principles.  Any  one  with  only 
ordinary  ability  can  master  it  and  become  able  to  write 
from  four  to  six  times  faster  than  in  longhand. 

Do  not  doubt  the  merits  of  Shorthand,  but  rather  say,  "I 
will  succeed."  You  can,  if  you  will,  make  it  an  acquirement 


1  See  note  immediately  following  the  last  Suggestion. 


ONE  HUNDBED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

that  will  be  of  much  value  to  you  every  day  of  your  life. 
If  you  will  only  throw  your  whole  soul  into  the  work  and 
"believe  that  you  can  do  what  many  others,  no  smarter  than 
yourself,  have  done,  you  need  have  no  fears  of  making  a 
failure. 

II.    Take  a  Course  of  Instruction  in  some  School. 

You  may,  by  your  own  individual  efforts,  be  able  to  suc- 
ceed in  becoming  an  expert  reporter,  but  the  chances  cer- 
tainly are  against  you.  There  is,  to  my  mind,  no  doubt 
whatever  as  to  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  not  one  in 
one  hundred  succeed  in  their  efforts  to  master  the  art  un- 
aided. On  the  other  hand,  my  experience  has  been  that  not 
one  in  twenty-five  makes  a  failure  when  they  conscientiously 
pursue  the  course  under  a  competent  teacher.  This  may  seem 
to  conflict  with  statements  made  in  another  suggestion 
wherein  it  is  stated  that  the  student,  by  finding  it  neces- 
sary to  have  a  teacher,  will  come  to  depend  upon  his  help. 
Tliis,  however,  is  not  the  case  since  the  true  work  of  a 
teacher  is  to  guide  the  efforts  of  the  pupil  in  the  right 
direction  and  in  this  way  make  him  more  self-reliant.  Al- 
though the  aim  of  this  little  volume  is  to  supply  in  a  per- 
manent form  the  valuable  suggestions  that  a  teacher  would 
make  to  a  student  and  to  assist,  as  far  as  possible,  those 
who  are  unable  to  have  the  help  of  a  teacher,  yet  no  book 
can  be  made  to  cover  every  individual  case,  much  less 
to  arouse  an  enthusiasm  in  the  work  that  an  earnest  teacher 
and  fellow  students  will  inspire.  There  are,  however,  many 
young  people  who  are  anxious  to  learn  Shorthand  but  who 
are  so  situated  that  attending  a  school  is  entirely  out  of  the 
question.  Such  will  find  that  the  next  best  course  to  pursue 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

is  to  take  lessons  by  mail  from  some  of  the  schools  that  are 
doing  excellent  work  in  that  line.  There  are  none  to  whom 
the  mails  are  not  accessible  and  who  may  not  in  this  way 
receive  much  valuable  assistance. 

III.     Shorthand  Schools   Guaranteeing   Positions  to 
Students  are  Frauds. 

It  is  true  that  many  schools  are  able  to  render  consider- 
able assistance  to  their  pupils  in  helping  them  to  secure 
positions,  but  to  guarantee  places  at  a  certain  time  is  per- 
fectly absurd.  Parties  who  have  no  interest  in  the  school 
whatever  are  the  ones  who  have  the  say  in  giving  the  stu- 
dents situations. 

If  the  young  man  who  contemplates  taking  a  course  in 
some  Shorthand  school  will  give  the  matter  a  moment's 
thought,  he  will  see  the  fallacy  of  such  offers.  It  is  ex- 
pected, by  such  inducements,  to  deceive  a  class  of  young 
people  who  do  but  little  thinking  for  themselves.  We 
would  be  much  more  willing  to  recommend  a  school  which 
positively  stated  in  its  advertisements  that  it  did  not  guar- 
antee situations  to  its  graduates  than  one  which  offered 
everything  and  charged  accordingly.  This  class  of  schools 
is,  as  a  rule,  of  mushroom  growth.  It  is  impossible  for 
them  to  fulfill  their  promises  since  they  have  no  positions 
actually  at  their  disposal  and,  also,  because  the  class  of 
students  drawn  to  such  schools  are  not  usually  of  the  kind 
likely  to  become  able  to  fill  good  positions.  It  does  not 
take  long  to  detect  such  frauds,  after  which  they  soon  dis- 
appear. It  is  much  safer  to  attend  a  school  that  has  main- 
tained its  reputation  through  a  long  series  of  years. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

IV.     Do  not   be   Discouraged   by  the   Cry  of  an 
Over-Supply. 

The  young  man  or  woman  who  takes  up  the  study  of 
Shorthand  will  surely  be  compelled  to  endure  the  constant 
cry  that  there  is  an  over-supply.  To  be  sure  there  is  an 
"  over-supply  "  of  Shorthand  writers.  So  is  there  an  over- 
supply  of  workmen  in  every  industrial  pursuit,  yet  people 
go  on  learning  the  various  trades  just  as  though  the  cry 
had  never  been  heard.  The  over-supply  comes  from  that 
large  class  who  do  things  only  by  halves.  We  have  all 
heard  the  cry  of  an  over-supply  of  lawyers,  teachers,  car- 
penters, blacksmiths,  etc. ;  yet  a  good  lawyer,  teacher,  or 
carpenter  is  never  out  of  employment  and  at  a  loss  for 
something  to  do.  You  never  hear  of  a  man  who  stands 
well  up  in  his  business  or  profession  making  any  complaint 
about  the  competition  which  he  may  have.  People  who  can 
do  their  part  well  are  always  in  demand.  Of  course  there 
will  always  be  poor  reporters,  just  as  there  are  poor  work- 
men in  all  vocations  in  life.  These  will  always  stand  in 
the  way  of  those  who  can  do  good  work,  but  prove  yourself 
to  be  deserving,  and  you  will  have  no  trouble  in  pushing 
past  them.  The  demand  for  competent  Shorthand  reporters 
and  type- writer  operators  is  rapidly  on  the  increase.  No 
one  can  better  judge  of  this  increasing  demand  than  those 
who  have  been,  for  a  long  time,  engaged  in  supplying  the 
calls  for  this  kind  of  work,  and  these  will  invariably  tell 
you  that  the  demand  has  increased  many  hundred  per  cent 
in  the  past  few  years,  and  is  likely  to  increase  at  the  same 
rate  in  the  years  to  come.  It  is  true  that  the  number  study- 
ing Shorthand  is  proportionally  large.  The  only  effect  of 
this,  however,  will  be  a  demand  for  a  higher  standard  of 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

proficiency  in  those  practicing  the  art.  Ambitious  students 
need  have  no  fear  because  of  this,  since  the  standard  is  not 
likely  to  be  so  high  that  any  one,  with  a  fair  amount  of 
common  sense,  may  not  reach  it. 

The  day  may  come,  although  we  doubt  it,  when  there  will 
be  an  over-supply  of  good  reporters,  but  if  ever,  it  is  so  far 
in  the  future  that  no  one  now  living  need  have  the  least 
fear  of  being  thus  crowded. 

V.  More   Depends  upon  Yourself  Than    upon  Any 

One  Else. 

There  is  no  surer  way  to  success  in  any  undertaking  than 
by  a  firm  reliance  upon  self.  This  applies  with  especial 
force  to  the  study  of  Shorthand.  The  most  successful 
reporters  we  have  ever  known  were  those  who  did  not 
depend  upon  the  help  of  teacher  or  friend  to  learn  Short- 
hand for  them,  but  relied  upon  their  own  ability  to  suc- 
ceed. Real  determination  will  go  as  far,  if  not  farther,  than 
natural  endowments,  hence  he  who  will  rely  upon  the  former 
may  have  as  much  or  even  more  hope  of  success  than  one 
who  is  otherwise  naturally  fitted  for  the  work  but  lacks  self- 
reliance.  There  are  now  too  many  "hangers  on"  in  the 
reporting  business.  This  is  very  sure  to  result  in  failure 
when  one  is  obliged  to  cut  loose  from  all  former  support 
and  act  for  himself.  Eesolve  that  you  will  do  what  others, 
no  more  capable  than  yourself  have  done,  and  then  go  ahead 
and  do  it. 

VI.  Do  Not  be  Influenced  by  the  Advice  of  People 

Who  Know  Nothing  about  Shorthand. 

Nothing  is  more  absurd  than  to  hear  a  certain  class  of 
people  decrying  Shorthand  when,  in  fact,  they  know  noth- 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

ing  at  all  about  it.  We  have  known  many  young  people 
who  would  have  become  excellent  reporters  had  they  not 
been  induced  to  give  up  the  idea  of  learning  Shorthand  by 
the  advice  of  persons  who  had  never  before  even  heard  of 
Stenography. 

In  a  court  of  justice  the  testimony  of  a  witness  would  be 
rejected  at  once  were  it  concerning  matters  of  which  he 
had  no  knowledge  whatever.  This  same  principle  ought 
to  hold  good  in  everything.  If  you  wish  advice  in  re- 
gard to  the  reporting  business,  ask  it  of  some  one  who  is 
competent  to  advise  you  intelligently.  It  will  be  found  that 
those  who  have  given  the  subject  enough  attention  to  en- 
able them  to  speak  authoritatively  are  the  ones,  with  rare 
exceptions,  who  have  made  a  success  of  it  and  who  will 
advise  you  to  begin  the  study  and  stick  to  it.  Also,  do  not 
allow  yourself  to  be  influenced  against  Shorthand  by  those 
who  pretend  to  know  all  about  it,  but  who,  in  fact,  cannot 
answer  a  sensible  question  concerning  the  art. 

VII.     Ladies    Should    not    Hesitate  about    Learning 
Shorthand. 

Shorthand  writing  is  a  very  artistic  work  and,  as  such,  is 
well  suited  to  the  finer  nature  and  more  delicate  organiza- 
tion of  womankind.  Judging  from  the  large  number  of 
ladies  who  have  entered  the  Stenographic  field  and  from 
the  excellent  satisfaction  which  is  almost  always  given,  I 
see  no  reason  why  any  lady  should  hesitate  for  a  moment 
to  accept  this  calling,  if  she  feels  the  necessity  of  engaging 
in  any  kind  of  employment.  The  work  is  light,  interest- 
ing, and  in  every  sense  respectable.  Of  course  there  are 
kinds  of  Stenographic  work  which  would  be  distasteful 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

to  ladies,  but  these  are  only  a  very  small  portion  of  the 
places  where  Shorthand  is  used.  Large  commercial  houses, 
railroad  offices,  insurance  offices,  banks,  and  other  places 
where  a  large  correspondence  is  conducted,  the  offices  of 
professional  men,  editorial  rooms,  and  all  places  -where  orig- 
inal documents  are  prepared,  offer  excellent  opportunities 
for  ladies,  and  in  many  places  they  are  preferred  to  gentle- 
men. As  compared  with  teaching  it  is  far  more  desirable. 

VIII.     The  Student  can  do  Much  Better  by  Having  a 

Fellow-Student  with  Whom  to  Practice. 
Shorthand,  unlike  most  other  studies,  is  not  one  in  which 
the  student  can  succeed  quite  as  well,  or  better  by  studying 
alone  than  he  can  by  working  with  some  fellow-student. 
Learning  Shorthand  consists,  for  the  most  part,  in  constant 
practice;  and  the  nearer  this  practice  approaches  actual  re- 
porting, the  better  it  is.  A  person  may  learn  to  do  rapid 
work  in  Shorthand  and  practice  only  by  copying,  but  this 
is  quite  different  from  following  a  speaker.  By  copying, 
he  gets  his  matter  in  sentences  or  parts  of  sentences,  and 
learns  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  writing,  but  when 
he  comes  to  follow  a  speaker  he  finds  it  entirely  differ- 
ent. He  does  not  receive  a  sentence  at  a  time,  the  speaker 
pausing  until  that  has  been  written.  The  words  come  in  a 
steady  flow,  one  sentence  immediately  following  another, 
whether  the  reporter  is  ready  or  not.  He  must  learn  not 
only  to  give  off  that  which  has  been  received,  but  also  to 
receive  constantly  new  words  and  retain  them  in  his  mem- 
ory until  they  are  written.  The  good  reporter  as  a  rule, 
closely  follows  the  speaker,  but  he  should  also  be  able  to 
retain  fifteen  or  twenty  words,  or  even  more  at  once,  so  that 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

in  case  of  an  unexpected  spurt  on  the  part  of  the  speaker 
he  will  not  lose  a  single  word.  Since  the  practical  work 
of  the  reporter  consists  entirely  in  following  a  speaker,  the 
more  practice  of  this  kind  he  gets  the  better  qualified  he 
will  be.  By  taking  the  course  with  some  other  student 
and  the  two  dictating  the  exercises  to  each  other,  actual 
reporting  will  come  much  easier.  There  is  no  doubt  but 
that  many  who  learn  Shorthand  by  themselves  and  fail 
when  they  come  to  try  actual  reporting,  could  trace  the 
cause  to  having  learned  to  copy  and  not  to  report. 

IX.     In  the  Beginning  of   Your  Practice  Use   Paper 
Properly  Ruled. 

This  is  quite  essential,  for  two  reasons.  First.  Students 
are  apt  to  get  into  the  habit  of  making  the  characters  of 
uneven  length.  They  do  not  see  the  disadvantage  of  this 
until  they  come  to  the  double  length  and  the  half  length 
letters,  a  device  made  use  of  in  most  systems  of  Shorthand 
writing.  Unless  the  student  has  become  accustomed  to 
writing  the  characters  of  nearly  uniform  length,  he  will  be 
sure  to  have  difficulty  sooner  or  later.  And  what  is  more, 
a  habit  once  formed  is  much  harder  to  overcome  than  it  is 
to  learn  the  right  way  in  the  first  place.  The  most  suc- 
cessful method  we  have  tried  in  order  to  secure  uniformity 
in  the  length  of  letters  is  to  use  paper  ruled  both  ways,  so 
that  the  squares  formed  will  be  the  right  size  for  a  letter 
of  medium  or  standard  length.  The  beginner  should  strict- 
ly adhere  in  his  practice  to  the  use  of  this  kind  of  paper, 
allowing  each  character  to  correspond  with  the  size  of  the 
square.  One  or  two  weeks  of  this  kind  of  drill,  at  first, 
will  develop  uniformity  in  the  handwriting  sufficiently  to 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

enable  one  to  use  ordinary  reporting  paper  with  no  danger 
of  difficulty  resulting. 

Second.  Students  are  apt,  in  the  beginning,  to  write 
their  letters  a  third  longer  than  necessary.  This  not  only 
makes  their  work  look  cumbersome  and  is  a  waste  of  paper, 
but  takes  more  time.  The  principal  object  of  Shorthand  is 
to  save  time,  and  the  writer  who  makes  his  characters 
longer  than  necessary  defeats,  in  a  large  measure,  the 
efforts  he  is  putting  forth  to  save  time.  A  small,  plain 
handwriting  should  be  cultivated  from  the  very  beginning, 
as  it  not  only  looks  neater  but  is  a  saving  of  much  valuable 
time.  The  student,  and  the  reporter  as  well,  should  use 
paper  ruled  with  purple  lines,  as  they  are  distinct  at  night 
as  well  as  in  daylight,  and  also  show  plainly  horizontal 
characters  written  upon  them.  Paper  ruled  with  pale  red 
lines  should  not  be  used,  as  the  lines  are  apt  to  be  so  dim 
that  to  follow  them  would  be  too  great  a  strain  upon  the 
eyesight  while  writing  at  night. 

Shorthand  students  will  also  find  it  advantageous  to  use 
paper  uniform  as  to  width  of  ruling.  This  will  help  very 
considerably  in  enabling  one  to  maintain  uniformity  in  the 
length  of  letters,  since  most  writers  gauge  the  size  of  their 
characters  to  a  large  extent  by  the  width  of  the  spaces 
between  the  lines.  If  the  spaces  differ  in  width,  one  will 
form  the  habit  of  varying  upright  letters  while  the  hori- 
zontal letters  will  remain  unchanged. 

X.     Be   Careful   as   to   the  Position  of  the  Light  by 
Which  You  are  Writing. 

As  a  rule,  the  first  thing  to  fail  the  scribe  is  his  eyesight. 
This  is  generally  caused  by  neglecting  to  pay  attention  to 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

the  position  of  the  light  by  which  he  writes.  This  is 
especially  the  case  while  writing  at  night  and  using  gas 
or  an  oil  lamp.  The  position  from  which  the  least  injury 
will  result  is  the  one  which  admits  the  light  upon  the  paper 
without  either  shining  directly  into  the  eyes,  or  casting  a 
reflection  into  them  from  the  paper  upon  which  one  is 
writing.  Such  position  of  the  light  as  brings  about  either 
of  these  results  should  be  scrupulously  avoided  as  both  are 
very  injurious  to  the  eyes.  The  best  results  of  lighting  the 
paper  may  be  obtained  by  using  a  shaded  light  placed  in 
front  and  far  enough  to  the  left  so  as  not  to  throw  the 
reflection  into  the  eyes. 

With  the  lamp  in  this  position  and  shaded  low  enough 
to  protect  the  eyes,  little  trouble  will  follow.  The  light 
should  also  be  strong  enough  to  light  the  paper  and  ruling 
very  distinctly,  but  not  so  strong  as  to  dazzle  the  eyes.  As 
a  rule,  more  trouble  comes  from  having  too  much  light  than 
from  having  too  little.  Another  very  important  feature 
is,  that  the  light  should  be  a  steady  one  and  always 
kept  at  a  uniform  distance  from  the  place  of  writing.  By 
becoming  accustomed  to  a  light  just  strong  enough  to  make 
it  appear  as  much  like  daylight  as  possible,  and  in  proper 
position  so  as  not  to  injure  the  eyes  by  direct  or  indirect 
light,  one  will  find  but  little  inconvenience  from  the  very 
great  amount  of  night  work  which  every  reporter  is  obliged 
to  do  from  time  to  time. 

The  position  of  the  light  when  using  the  Type-writer  is 
also  important.  It  should  be  placed  so  as  to  throw  the 
light  fully  on  the  front  of  the  machine,  and  be  high  enough 
to  light  the  keyboard  plainly.  This  can  be  done  to  the  best 
advantage  by  having  the  light  either  to  the  left  or  right, 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

according  to  the  position  of  your  copy,  and  about  as  high 
as  the  shoulder.  It  should  be  shaded  so  as  not  to  throw 
any  light  whatever  upon  the  operator. 

XI.     Learn  to  Pronounce  Distinctly. 

The  student  can  hardly  expect  to  become  a  correct  writer 
in  representing  words  by  sound  signs  unless  he  can  first 
pronounce  the  words  correctly,  or,  what  is  more  difficult, 
correct  the  mistakes  made  by  the  speaker  whom  he  is 
following. 

The  English  language,  so  far  as  pronunciation  is  con- 
cerned and,  in  fact,  in  every  other  respect,  is  by  no  means 
a  scientific  one.  Being  composed  of  so  many  elements, 
there  can  be  no  rules  of  pronunciation  which  will,  apply 
even  to  a  very  small  class  of  words.  Still,  with  a  little  care 
and  a  reference  to  the  dictionary  when  any  uncertainty 
exists,  little  or  no  difficulty  will  be  experienced  with  the 
majority  of  the  more  commonly  occurring  words. 

XII.     Use  a  Pen  Suited  to  Your  Particular  Touch. 

The  idea  of  having  all  conform  to  a  particular  style  and 
especially  to  a  particular  number  of  pen  is  perfectly  absurd. 
It  would  be  quite  as  reasonable  to  require  all  reporters  to 
wear  the  same  sized  hat  or  shoes.  We  sometimes  see 
advertisements  of  some  special  kind  of  pen,  not  even  in- 
cluding different  numbers  of  the  same  make,  which  is 
recommended  as  just  the  thing  for  all  students  of  Short- 
hand. Yet  people  buy  them,  and  the  lady  whose  touch  is 
the  most  delicate  vainly  endeavors  to  do  good  work  with  the 
same  kind  of  pen  made  use  of  by  the  sturdy  young  man 
who  has  just  forsaken  his  maul  at  the  rail  pile  and 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

begun  to  draw  curves  and  make  hooks.  The  pen  to  use  is 
the  one  best  suited  to  your  particular  touch.  Any  person 
of  ordinary  ability  will  have  no  difficulty  in  deciding  what 
particular  pen  suits  his  hand  and  with  which  he  can  do  the 
best  work.  There  are,  however,  some  styles  of  pens  totally 
unfit  for  any  one  to  use  in  reporting,  while  there  are 
some  brand?  among  the  different  numbers  of  which,  almost 
anybody  may  find  one  suited  to  his  hand.  A  good  gold 
pen  is  by  far  the  best  to  use  in  Shorthand  work.  It  is 
always  ready  for  use  and,  if  properly  taken  care  of,  will 
last  for  years  of  steady  writing. 

XIII.     It  is  Quite  Necessary  that  the  Reporter  be  Able 
to  Write  a  Plain  Longhand. 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  practice  of  Shorthand 
will  so  affect  one's  longhand  as  to  make  it  almost  illegible. 
This  belief  is  caused  by  the  fact  that  Shorthand  writers  are 
generally  very  poor  scribes.  Their  poor  writing,  however, 
is  not  caused,  to  any  extent,  by  the  mere  writing  of  Short- 
hand. The  poor  longhand  writing,  so  common  among 
reporters  is,  in  almost  every  case,  the  result  of  rapid  writing 
in  making  transcripts.  The  same  result  would  be  brought 
about  by  mere  copying  even  though  the  writer  had  never 
made  a  Shorthand  character. 

Now  that  the  type-writer  is  used  almost  exclusively  in 
transcribing  Shorthand  notes  there  is  no  excuse  at  all  for  a 
reporter  not  being  a  good  longhand  writer.  It  very  fre- 
quently occurs  that  the  amanuensis,  especially,  will  have 
more  or  less  writing  to  do  with  the  pen.  Some  part  of  his 
type-writer  may  give  out  and  he  will  be  obliged  to  use  the 
pen  until  it  is  repaired.  It  also  frequently  occurs  that 


TO   SHORTHAND    STUDENTS. 

some  particular  letter  or  paper  is  required  to  bo  written  in 
longhand,  or,  it  may  be,  copied  in  some  book  where  the 
type-writer  cannot  be  used.  Oftentimes  blanks  aro  to  be 
filled  out  where  it  is  necessary  to  use  the  pen.  Newspaper 
and  court  reporters  may  not  always  bo  ablo  to  have  a  type- 
writer at  hand,  and  will  then  be  obliged  to  resort  to  longhand 
writing.  There  are  numerous  other  contingencies  that 
may  arise  in  which  the  reporter  will  bo  expected  to  use  the 
old  method.  In  order  to  givo  satisfaction,  ho  should  be 
able  to  write  readily  a  plain  longhand,  for,  since  type- 
writing has  become  so  common,  people  aro  not  apt  to  have 
much  patience  with  longhand  unless  it  is  executed  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  as  plainly  as  type -written  matter. 

XIV.     Learn  to  Punctuate. 

Although  there  are  very  few,  if  any,  punctuation  marks 
used  in  any  system  of  Shorthand,  yet  it  is  quito  essential 
that  the  reporter  should  know  when  to  use  the  more  com- 
mon ones,  since  he  has  occasion  to  use  them  every  time  he 
makes  a  transcript  of  his  notes.  It  is  truo  that  there  is,  in 
the  main,  but  little  uniformity  in  punctuation;  yet  there 
are  some  general  principles  which  aro  accepted  by  all. 
These  should  bo  understood  by  all  Shorthand  writers.  This 
would  avoid  much  of  the  wretched  work  which  is  often  seen 
in  type-written  matter  and  which,  in  that  form,  stands  out 
in  such  a  marked  way. 

It  would  be  well  for  every  Shorthand  student,  not  pre- 
viously prepared  in  this  respect,  to  secure  some  treatise  on 
punctuation  and  make  a  thorough  study  of  it.  There  are 
various  works  on  the  subject,  any  of  which  contains  many 
valuable  suggestions  and  is  well  worth  a  careful  study. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

They  may  be  had  for  a  few  cents  each  and  no  Shorthand 
writer  should  be  without  one. 

XV.     Learn  to  Spell. 

This,  to  some,  may  seem  to  be  a  very  useless  suggestion; 
but  any  one  who  has  an  opportunity  and  will  look  over  a 
few  type-written  letters,  such  as  are  sent  out  by  many  large 
business  firms  where  Stenographic  secretaries  are  em- 
ployed, would  think  otherwise.  One  would  be  ID  dined  to 
think  that  each  reporter  spelled  his  words  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  own  fancy  and  that  his  fancy  was  constantly 
varying.  The  use  of  the  type- writer  shows  errors  in  spell- 
ing very  plainly,  and  the  endeavor  which  is  made  by  many 
to  cover  up  the  mistakes  only  makes  a  bad  matter  worse. 

Business  men  are,  as  a  rule,  aware  of  this  failing  on  the 
part  of  reporters,  and  are  apt  to  treat  with  disfavor  all 
applicants  who  cannot  prove  their  ability  to  spell  correctly 
the  more  common  English  words.  The  advice  generally 
given  to  poor  spellers  is,  "  Always  look  up  a  word  in  the 
dictionary  unless  you  are  sure  that  you  are  right."  This 
advice  will  apply  in  some  cases,  but  too  often  it  occurs  that 
one  is  sure  he  is  right  when  he  is  about  as  far  wrong  as  he 
could  very  well  be.  The  great  trouble  is  that,  since  the 
old  fashioned  spelling  school  has  become  a  thing  of  the 
past,  very  little  effort  is  made  by  young  people  to  acquire 
proficiency  in  this  important  branch  of  education.  One  of 
the  necessary  things  in  becoming  a  good  type-writer  op- 
erator is  an  ability  to  spell  without  a  particle  of  hesitation 
every  word  that  may  be  used.  That  is,  in  itself,  quite  an 
accomplishment.  If  one  cannot  spell  readily,  much  valu- 
able time  will  be  lost  in  hesitating  or  in  looking  up  words 


TO   SHOETHAND    STUDENTS. 

in  the  dictionary.  We  -would  advise  every  young  reporter 
to  give  special  attention  to  this  point  as  it  is  well  worth  the 
while. 

XVI.     Use  the  Best  Quality  of  Ink. 

There  is  about  as  much  difference  between  the  various 
kinds  of  ink  that  are  generally  kept  for  sale  as  there  is 
between  a  charcoal  pencil  and  a  good  gold  pen.  And  what 
is  worse,  very  few  people  have  any  idea  that  there  can  be 
any  difference  in  ink.  Any  liquid  that  will  make  a  colored 
mark,  even  though  it  be  only  indigo  water,  is,  to  the 
majority  of  people,  just  as  good  as  the  best  writing  fluid. 
Good  ink  is  just  as  essential  as  good  pens  and  paper.  Ink 
that  flows  evenly  and  freely  from  the  pen  should  be  used. 
It  should  also  be  such  as  will  make  distinct  lines  when  the 
writing  is  being  done  and  not  become  either  lighter  or 
darker  after  use. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  ink  which  do  this,  and  the 
Shorthand  writer  whose  system  includes  both  light  and 
shaded  lines  (and  this  is  the  case  with  the  majority  of  sys- 
tems) finds  it  a  source  of  much  trouble,  since  letters  which 
were  intended  to  be  light  will  afterwards  be  mistaken  for 
heavy  ones,  and  vice  versa. 

The  stand  from  which  ink  is  used  should  be  kept  secure- 
ly corked  while  not  in  use,  in  order  to  prevent  the  ink  from 
becoming  thick  from  evaporation  or  from  dust  settling  in 
it.  The  stands  used  in  most  offices  are,  as  a  rule,  "  large 
mouthed  arrangements"  to  which  a  cover  would  be  a  great 
surprise,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  contents  soon  become 
more  like  ordinary  mud  than  a  writing  fluid.  An  inkstand 
with  a  large  opening  is  far  more  convenient;  but,  in  order 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

to  keep  the  contents  in  a  proper  condition,  it  should  be 
carefully  covered  when  not  in  use.  Of  the  various  kinds  of 
ink  which  we  have  used,  we  have  found  Thomas'  writing 
fluid  to  be  the  best  for  all  purposes  whatever,  in  longhand 
as  well  as  Shorthand.  For  a  ready,  even  flow  there  is  none 
better.  If  the  beginner  would,  as  far  as  possible,  remove 
all  impediments  from  the  way  of  his  becoming  a  successful 
reporter,  he  should  give  special  attention  to  securing  ink 
which  will  not  make  his  writing  seem  the  most  discourag- 
ing part  of  his  work. 

XVII.     Use  a  Pencil  of  Medium  Hardness. 

Although  we  would  not  advise  the  constant  use  of  a  pen- 
cil, yet  there  is  no  Shorthand  writer  who  will  not,  at  times, 
be  obliged  to  make  use  of  one.  He  may  break  or  lose  hia 
pen  and  not  have  time  to  secure  another,  or  he  may  be  com- 
pelled on  unexpected  occasions  to  use  paper  totally  unfit 
for  any  kind  of  a  pen;  hence  he  should  always  be  supplied 
with  a  few  good  pencils  sharpened  ready  for  use.  He 
should  also  occasionally  write  with  a  pencil  so  as  not  to  be 
entirely  out  of  practice  when  circumstances  make  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  use  one.  Many  reporters  use  a  pencil  con- 
stantly, preferring  it  to  a  pen.  If  one  is  able  to  do  better 
and  more  satisfactory  work  with  a  pencil  than  with  a  pen, 
he  certainly  ought  to  use  the  former. 

When  selecting  a  pencil  care  should  be  taken  not  to  se- 
lect one  either  too  hard  or  too  soft.  This  will  depend,  to 
a  certain  extent,  upon  the  person,  and  also  upon  the  quality 
of  paper  used. 

For  ordinary  use  a  good  quality  of  uncalendered  paper 
will  be  found  the  best  for  a  pencil.  Of  the  various  kinds 


TO  SHOETHAND  STUDENTS. 

of  pencils  which  we  have  tried,  we  have  found  that  the  one 
most  suitable  for  Shorthand  is  Dixon's  "Stenographer." 
This,  we  think,  will  suit  most  people,  though  some  will  find 
a  softer  and  others  a  harder  quality  of  the  same  brand 
more  suitable. 

XVIII.     Do  Not  Fail  to  be  Regular  at  Recitations. 

If  nothing  more  is  gained  from  this  suggestion  than  the 
habit  of  attending  regularly  to  your  duties,  it  will  have 
served  a  worthy  purpose.  The  habits  you  form  in  school 
will  be  very  likely  to  cling  to  you  in  the  practice  of  your 
profession,  and  if  you  become  accustomed  to  being  absent 
from  school  you  will  also  find  yourself  neglecting  your 
employer's  work,  and,  as  a  result,  lose  your  place.  There 
is,  however,  a  more  immediate  disadvantage  resulting  from 
being  absent  from  class.  A  good  teacher,  which  you  are 
supposed  to  have,  if  you  have  any,  will  bring  up  some- 
thing of  importance  at  each  recitation.  By  losing  some 
important  link  in  this  way,  that  which  is,  in  fact,  a  beauti- 
fully connected  whole  becomes  disjointed  and  confused  in 
the  mind.  The  same  result  will  be  brought  about  by  neg- 
lecting to  thoroughly  learn  all  the  little  things  connected 
with  the  study.  In  many  branches  of  knowledge  a  person 
may  neglect  many  details  and  not  encounter  any  serious 
trouble  in  the  further  progress  of  the  study,  but  in  Short- 
hand it  is  very  different.  Here,  is  allowed  no  time  for 
reflection.  No  chance  is  given  to  recall  things  only 
vaguely  learned.  If  you  do  not  have  every  little  point 
upon  the  tips  of  your  fingers,  failure  is  in  store  for  you. 
The  only  way  in  which  you  may  be  sure  of  avoiding  such 
a  result  is  to  attend  promptly  every  recitation;  and  not 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

only  attend,  but  make  each  point  presented  by  the  teacher 
your  own. 

XIX.     Do  Not  Become  Discouraged. 

At  least  three-fourths  of  those  who  begin  the  study  of 
Shorthand  get  discouraged  when  about  one-fourth  of  the 
work  is  accomplished.  They  do  not  stick  to  it  long 
enough  to  become  accustomed  to  the  study  They  make 
mistakes,  as  beginners  in  anything  do,  and  not  yet  being 
able  to  appreciate  the  real  beauties  of  the  art,  they  get 
discouraged  and  give  up.  Young  man,  stop  and  think. 
Although  there  are  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  who 
have  begun  and  then  given  up  the  study  of  Shorthand, 
yet  there  are  vast  numbers  who  have  made  a  grand  suc- 
cess of  the  work,  and  men,  too,  with  no  more  natural 
ability  than  many  of  those  who  gave  it  up;  the  only  dif- 
ference between  the  classes  being,  that,  the  one  lacked 
force  enough  to  carry  them  through,  while  the  other  be- 
lieved that  they  could  do  what  had  been  done,  and  kept 
at  it  until  they  succeeded.  There  is  no  study  that  does 
not  have  its  difficult  parts,  and  the  one  who  succeeds  in 
these  is  the  one  who  will  not  allow  every  little  thing  to 
give  him  the  "  blues,"  while  his  equally  talented  brother 
falls  behind  and  is  lost  sight  of  simply  because  he  would 
not  do  what  he  might.  A  steady  application  of  will  is  a 
very  important  factor  in  considering  one's  chances  of  suc- 
cess in  the  line  of  Shorthand  work. 

XX.     Do  Not  Change  Systems. 

Unless  you  have  begun  some  system  in  which  you  have 
afterwards  found  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  become 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

a  reporter,  do  not  make  a  change.  I  would  especially 
urge  this  if  you  have  studied  a  system  any  length  of  time. 
After  it  has  become  fixed  in  the  mind  that  a  certain  sign 
stands  for  a  certain  sound,  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  substi- 
tute some  other  character  in  its  place. 

No  matter  how  well  you  may  learn  the  latter,  there  will 
oftentimes  be  conflict  and  confusion.  Especially  will  this 
be  the  case  when  you  are  trying  to  do  rapid  writing,  since, 
in  trying  to  do  a  thing  quickly,  one  naturally  does  it  the 
way  he  first  learned.  Of  course,  this  may,  by  a  great 
effort,  be  overcome  to  a  certain  extent,  yet  never  com- 
pletely so.  A  person  will  find  himself  unconsciously  con- 
fusing the  two  systems,  thus  making  trouble  for  himself 
in  translating  and  his  notes  absolutely  illegible  to  other 
reporters  of  the  system  which  he  pretends  to  write.  The 
habit  of  representing  a  word  or  sound  by  a  certain  sign, 
like  any  other  custom,  cannot  be  laid  aside  at  pleasure, 
like  a  garment. 

Those  people  who  have  used  some  good  system  for  years 
and  then  all  at  once  have  found  the  "ultima  thule,"  in 
Shorthand,  and  have  become  expert  reporters  in  some 
other  system  in  a  few  weeks,  may  be  set  down  as  something 
phenomenal  and  quite  differently  constituted  from  the 
ordinary  mortal.  If  you  are  desirous  of  making  some 
improvement  in  Shorthand,  or  wish  to  test  the  merits  of 
the  various  systems,  and  do  not  desire  to  become  a  rapid 
writer,  you  may  be  justified  in  making  a  careful  study  of 
the  various  methods  of  Shorthand  writing;  but  if  your  aim 
is  to  be  a  reporter,  the  less  you  have  to  do  with  other 
systems  than  the  one  you  have  decided  to  adopt,  the 
better. 


ONE   HUNDRED  VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

.  It  is  not  advantageous  even  to  adopt  contractions  from 
other  systems,  though,  they  may  be  more  brief,  if  in  any 
way  they  conflict  with  your  own.  You  may  not  have 
chosen  the  best  system,  but  to  confuse  the  one  you  have, 
even  with  a  better  one,  will  be  very  sure  to  lessen  your 
speed  in  writing.  First,  be  very  careful  as  to  the  system 
you  adopt,  then  stick  to  it. 

XXI.     Learn  Thoroughly  the  First  Principles. 

This  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  beginner,  and 
yet,  as  a  rule,  no  part  of  Shorthand  is  so  much  neglected. 
The  first  principles  seem  so  easy  and  simple  that  students 
are  apt  to  get  the  idea  that  they  are  not  of  much  conse- 
quence. In  this  they  make  a  very  serious  mistake.  In 
every  system  of  Shorthand  all  that  follows  the  first  prin- 
ciples is  developed  from,  and  dependent  upon,  them.  If 
these  are  neglected,  as  is  very  often  the  case,  the  student, 
when  he  comes  to  the  more  difficult  parts  of  the  study,  is 
almost  sure  to  become  confused,  get  discouraged,  and  give 
up.  In  our  experience  with  persons  who  have  begun  the 
study  of  Shorthand  and  made  a  failure  of  it,  we  have,  in 
the  large  majority  of  cases,  been  able  to  trace  their  failure 
to  this  cause.  By  not  having  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
that  part  of  the  art  which  is  the  most  easy  to  learn,  the 
whole  becomes  a  complicated  and  confused  mass.  No 
wonder  that  so  many  find  Shorthand  hard  to  learn  and 
make  a  regular  botch  of  it,  when  they  have  not  taken  the 
pains  to  learn  the  a,  b,  c's  of  the  art. 

The  student  of  Stenography  cannot  impress  too  thor- 
oughly upon  his  mind  the  elementary  principles  of  Short- 
hand As  a  rule,  the  extra  amount  of  time  spent  in  thor- 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

oughly  mastering  the  elements  will  be  more  than  saved  by 
the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  the  more  difficult  parts 
are  acquired. 

XXII.     Hold  Your  Pen  in  That  Manner  in  Which  You 
Can  Do  the  Best  and  Most  Satisfactory  Work. 

There  are  teachers  who  would  compel  all  students  to  con- 
form to  one  fixed  position.  There  are  others  who  insist  just 
as  strongly  on  some  other  position,  declaring  that  there  is 
no  success  without  adopting  their  particular  hobby.  But 
man  is  not  a  machine,  all  the  parts  of  which  will  fit  exactly 
in  the  same  mould  or  move  about  in  their  spheres  with  the 
same  harmony.  Even  though  every  person  had  the  same 
style  for  holding  the  pen  or  pencil,  yet  to  confine  him  to 
this,  with  no  chance  of  varying  it,  would  be  unreasonable, 
since  it  would  make  the  physical  strain  of  writing  much 
greater.  A  slight  shifting  of  the  pen  now  and  then  from 
between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  to  a  position  between 
the  first  and  second  fingers  will  be  a  great  relief  in  steady 
writing.  Again,  many  find  it  easier  to  write  with  the  pen 
held  very  nearly  perpendicular.  A  person  may  compel 
himself  to  conform  to  any  particular  style  of  holding  the 
pen  and  be  able  to  do  quite  satisfactory  work;  but  unless 
the  style  to  which  he  is  already  accustomed  is  a  very 
cramped  and  awkward  one,  it  is  better  to  retain  it,  since  it 
requires  more  time  to  become  accustomed  to  another  than 
would  be  gained  by  the  change. 

There  are,  it  is  true,  certain  general  rules  to  which  all 
should  conform,  but  farther  than  this  nothing  can  be  said. 
Hold  your  pen  in  the  manner  which  is  the  most  natural  and 
easy  for  you,  and  so  that  it  will  move  easily  and  lightly  upon 


ONE  HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

the  paper.  It  will  be  found  that  the  distinction  between 
the  light  and  shaded  letters  can  be  made  more  readily  by 
holding  the  pen  in  a  more  upright  position  than  it  is  gen- 
erally held  in  writing  longhand. 

XXIII.  Sit  at  the  Table  upon  Which  you  are  Writing 
in  an  Upright  and  as  Easy  a  Manner  as  Possible. 

The  Shorthand  writer,  as  well  as  the  longhand  writer, 
will  find  it  advantageous  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  sitting 
in  an  upright  position  while  writing.  Unless  the  left-hand 
is  used,  the  student  will  find  the  right-oblique  position  the 
best  for  steady  work.  It  will  also  be  advantageous  to  some- 
times vary  this  position  to  that  of  a  full-front.  Such  a 
change  will  afford  a  considerable  rest  to  one  who  is  writing 
steadily.  The  muscles  below  the  elbow  should  rest  upon 
the  table  so  as  to  allow  the  hand  to  move  freely  across  the 
paper.  Although  the  finger  movement  will  be  used  in  most 
strokes  in  Shorthand,  yet  the  wrist  and  full  arm  movement 
may  occasionally  be  used  to  good  advantage.  The  feet  should 
be  set  squarely  on  the  floor  and  not  drawn  up  under  the 
chair,  as  is  often  done.  Young  people  are  very  apt  to  form 
such  a  habit,  and  will  find  it  hard  to  overcome,  yet  in  the 
end  they  will  be  able  to  work  much  more  comfortably  by 
assuming  a  proper  position. 

XXIV.  Hold  Your  Paper  or  Note  Book  Firmly  with 

the  Left-Hand. 

This  can  best  be  done  by  placing  the  tips  of  the  fingers 
of  the  left-hand  upon  the  edge  of  the  paper  at  right  angles 
with  the  right-hand,  keeping  the  thumb  against  the  edge  of 
the  paper.  By  a  slight  pressure  of  the  fingers,  the  paper 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

can  be  held  firmly  in  place,  while,  -with  the  thumb  at  the 
edge  of  the  paper,  the  page  can  be  readily  turned  with  it  as 
soon  as  the  last  line  is  written.  This  is  a  far  more  impor- 
tant suggestion  than  it  may  seem,  since  but  poor  work,  at 
best,  can  be  done,  unless  the  paper  is  firmly  held  in  its 
place. 

XXV.     The  Learner,  as  well  as  the  Reporter,  Should 
Use  a  Good  Quality  of  Paper. 

The  student  can  do  a  hundred  per  cent,  better  work  with 
good  paper  than  with  the  miserable  stuff  that  is  for  sale  at 
most  small  book  and  stationery  establishments.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  work  which  a  student  does  goes  a  great 
way  towards  encouraging  or  discouraging  him  in  his 
efforts.  The  difference  in  price  of  paper  will  be  a  small 
item  compared  with  the  real  advantage  to  be  gained. 
Nicely  calendered  paper  should  be  used  in  writing  with 
a  pen,  and  the  beginner  should  at  first, confine  himself  to 
one.  After  he  has  practiced  for  some  weeks  he  may  then, 
to  good  advantage,  make  use  of  a  pencil.  It  would  be  bet- 
ter never  to  use  a  pencil  at  all  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that 
every  reporter  is  occasionally  situated  so  that  he  is  obliged 
to  use  one.  This  being  the  case,  it  is  quite  essential  that 
all  reporters  become  accustomed  to  writing  with  a  pencil. 
When  using  a  pencil  a  good  quality  of  uncalendered  paper 
should  be  made  use  of.  This  will  enable  one  to  make  a 
clear  distinction  between  light  and  shaded  letters  without 
much  effort,  while  the  writing  will  not  be  blurred  by  the 
pages  rubbing  together  in  handling.  The  learner  will  find 
it  convenient  to  use  tablets  of  paper,  of  which  each  leaf  may 
be  torn  off  as  soon  as  used.  These  should  not  be  destroyed, 
but  laid  aside,  and  afterwards  carefully  read  over. 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

XXVI.      Do  Not  Draw  Your  Shorthand  Characters. 

The  exercises  written  in  Shorthand  in  most  text-books 
have  a  tendency  to  cause  students  to  fall  into  this  habit. 
The  engravings  are,  as  a  rule,  made  "with  as  near  an 
approach  to  mathematical  exactness  as  it  is  possible  for 
them  to  be.  The  student,  in  order  to  make  his  work  look 
anything  like  the  illustrations  which  are  given  in  his  text, 
finds  it  necessary  to  make  his  strokes  with  a  great  deal  of 
care,  and,  as  a  result,  forms  the  habit  of  making  them  very 
slowly.  Although  it  is  desirable  that  the  student  be 
as  nearly  correct  as  possible,  and  although  it  is  true  in  most 
cases  that  the  more  perfect  the  model  toward  which  one  is 
aiming  the  better  he  is  likely  to  become,  yet  a  near  ap- 
proach to  perfection  cannot  be  made  at  once.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  the  beginner  in  Shorthand  w?ho  would  have 
his  characters  exactly  like  the  models  in  his  text,  if  they 
are  made  with  mechanical  exactness,  for  in  his  attempt  to 
closely  imitate  his  model  he  is  sure  to  form  the  habit  of 
drawing  his  letters.  He  could  not  fall  into  a  worse  habit, 
both  as  regards  his  speed  and  the  ease  and  neatness  of  his 
work.  The  fine  penman  executes  his  most  beautiful  curves 
and  flourishes  by  rapid  and  easy  strokes.  So  in  Shorthand 
the  best  work  can  be  accomplished  in  the  end  by  cultivat- 
ing a  free  and  easy  movement.  The  work  will  be  more 
nearly  correct,  will  look  much  better,  and  the  speed  will  not 
be  sacrificed.  The  reporter  is  not  supposed  to  have  time  to 
draw  his  characters,  and  the  less  that  is  done  of  it,  even  in 
learning  to  write,  the  better.  The  writing  may  not  look 
BO  well  at  first,  but  by  patient  practice  it  will,  in  the"  end, 
look  far  better  than  though  the  student  had  continued  to 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

draw  out  each  letter,  while  the  speed  will  be  very  much 
greater. 

If  you  try  to  make  your  strokes  quickly,  and  your  work 
is  not  at  first  mechanically  exact,  do  not  be  discouraged,  but 
bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  you  can  gradually  bring  your 
work  to  approach  that  point  by  steady  and  careful  practice. 

XXVII.     Do  Not  Make  Your  Characters  Too  Large. 

There  are  several  reasons  why  it  pays  to  write  a  small 
hand.  I  do  not  mean  by  this  a  cramped  style  which  is  as 
difficult  to  write  and  looks  no  better  than  the  other  extreme, 
or  a  large  and  sprawling  style.  It  takes  a  great  deal  more 
time  to  write  a  character  twice  ns  long  as  need  be  than  it 
does  to  strike  it  the  proper  length.  Many  Shorthand 
writers  are  not  aware  how  much  time  they  lose  by  making 
all  the  characters  much  larger  than  is  necessary. 

To  save  time  is  the  one  thing  for  which  Shorthand  is 
learned,  and  to  spread  the  characters  out  over  double  the 
necessary  amount  of  paper  is  but  to  defeat,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  end  sought.  More  timo  is  taken  in  making 
larger  characters,  more  time  is  taken  in  going  back  to  the 
beginning  of  lines,  and  more  time  is  needed  to  turn  over 
the  larger  number  of  pages.  These  things,  small,  very 
small,  in  themselves,  count  in  the  end  of  weeks  or  months, 
and  may  be  saved  just  as  well  as  not. 

Another  thing  worthy  of  notice  is  the  amount  of  paper 
used.  Many  reporters  use  at  least  twice  as  much  paper  as 
others  in  writing  the  same  amount  of  matter.  This  is 
another  little  thing,  but  which  in  time  will  prove  to  be  a 
very  important  item.  Shorthand  written  in  a  small,  neat 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

hand  also  looks  much  better  and  more  like  the  work  of  an 
artist  than  does  the  ordinary  scrawl  which  is  adopted  by  so 
many  stenographers. 

XXVIII.  Make  Your  Shorthand  Characters  Uniform 

in  Length. 

Almost  every  system  of  Shorthand  makes  use  of  the 
principle  of  having  different  lengths  for  certain  characters 
to  indicate  certain  additional  sounds.  This  is  a  very  im- 
portant principle  in  Shorthand,  and  could  not  very  well  be 
dispensed  with.  It,  however,  becomes  a  very  serious  stum- 
bling block  to  many  students  for  the  simple  reason  that  the 
medium  sized  letters,  which  are  learned  first,  are  not  gen- 
erally made  of  uniform  length.  If  there  were  but  one 
length  for  letters,  this  would  not  make  so  much  difference, 
since  the  only  effect  would  be  to  make  the  writing  look 
uneven.  The  trouble  comes  when  the  same  characters  are 
to  be  made  double  length  or  half  length,  and  when  so 
written  represent  certain  additional  sounds.  If,  then,  the 
student  has  not  acquired  the  habit  of  writing  each  class  of 
the  characters  of  a  uniform  size,  he  will  be  sure  to  get 
them  confused  when  he  comes  to  reading  what  he  has 
written.  The  only  way  to  avoid  trouble  of  this  kind  is  to 
give  particular  attention,  in  the  very  beginning,  to  writing 
the  letters  of  as  near  a  uniform  length  as  possible. 

XXIX.  In  Shorthand  No  Silent  Letters  Are  Written. 

After  one  has  studied  the  subject  of  Shorthand  a  while, 
anil  become  accustomed  to  writing  by  sound,  he  will  have 
no  difficulty  at  all  in  distinguishing  the  silent  letters  from 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

those  which  are  sounded.  At  first,  however,  the  student  is 
very  apt  to  be  more  or  less  troubled  with  such  letters,  and 
will  find  himself  very  often  unconsciously  inserting  many 
which,  upon  second  thought,  he  will  readily  see  should  not 
be  written.  The  only  way  to  avoid  this,  which  to  the  be- 
ginner seems  a  very  difficult  thing,  is  to  exercise  a  little 
care  and  common  sense  in  the  start. 

XXX.      Make  Distinct  Angles. 

Most  students  do  not  give  enough  attention  to  making 
distinct  angles  between  the  letters  of  a  word  and  between 
different  words  which  are  joined.  Distinct  angles  are  quite 
essential  to  legibility  in  Shorthand  notes.  Without  some- 
thing to  enable  one  to  distinguish  readily  where  each  letter 
ends  and  the  next  begins,  the  notes  will  be  almost  worthless. 
In  using  the  various  ticks  especial  care  should  be  taken  or 
they  will  entirely  disappear.  It  is  the  tendency  among 
students  to  neglect  angularity.  This  is,  no  doubt,  caused 
by  the  fact  that  many  very  slight  angles  may  be  made  quite 
distinct  while  writing  slowly.  The  student  must  take  into 
consideration,  however,  that  only  those  angles  should  be 
formed  which  can  be  distinctly  made  while  writing  rapidly. 
As  it  is  not  possible  for  a  beginner  to  always  decide  just 
what  angles  may  be  made  rapidly  and  at  the  same  time 
plainly,  the  only  way  for  him  to  settle  such  a  matter  is  to 
be  guided  by  the  experience  of  those  whose  opportunities 
in  practice  enable  them  to  judge  correctly  about  such 
things.  Our  experience  has  been  that  students,  not  having 
had  much  practice  and  not  being  able  to  appreciate  the 
practical  utility  of  such  forms,  oftentimes  refuse  to  adopt 

them,  and  accustom  themselves  to  what  they  suppose  to  be 
3 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

better  outlines.  The  result  is,  -when  they  come  to  use  them 
in  reporting,  the  outlines  are  found  to  be  unsuitable,  and 
they  are  obliged  to  discard  them  and  adopt  different  forms 
before  they  can  do  satisfactory  work 

Although  we  would  not  advise  students  to  follow  blindly 
everything  a  text-book  or  a  teacher  may  advise,  yet  in  many 
things  the  learner  may  derive  a  great  deal  of  benefit  from 
the  experience  of  the  teacher  or  author,  and  save  himself 
from  the  trouble  of  having  to  go  through  the  ordeal  of 
finding  out  by  practice  the  best  form  to  adopt  in  each  case. 

XXXI.      At  the  Beginning  of  the  Study  Be  Careful 
About  the  Slant  of  Letters. 

Unless  special  attention  is  given  in  the  beginning  of  the 
student's  practice  he  will  be  very  apt  to  make  too  little  dis- 
tinction between  slanting  and  upright  strokes.  Especially 
is  this  true  in  attempting  to  make  perpendicular  letters,  as 
it  seems  almost  impossible  for  most  people  to  make  them 
anywhere  near  straight  up  and  down.  The  majority  of 
people  are  sure  to  slant  the  upright  letters  more  or  less  to 
the  right.  As  a  result,  they  are  almost  certain  to  get  them 
confused  with  letters  intended  to  slant  in  that  direction. 

A  good  way  to  overcome  this  tendency  is  to  use,  for  a 
while,  paper  that  is  ruled  both  ways.  The  upright  letters 
should  be  struck  as  nearly  parallel  as  possible  with  the 
perpendicular  ruling.  It  will  not  take  a  great  deal  of  prac- 
tice of  this  kind  to  enable  the  student  to  readily  make 
enough  distinction  between  the  different  strokes  so  that 
there  will  be  no  danger  of  confusing  them.  Another  good 
plan  is  to  make  the  perpendicular  letters  slant  a  little  to 
the  left.  But  in  this,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  give  them 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

too  much  slant  in  that  direction,  else  no  advantage  will  be 
derived.  As  the  upright  letters  are  the  only  ones  with 
which  students  have  any  trouble,  particular  attention  should 
be  given  to  them. 

XXXII.     Learn  the  Vowels  Thoroughly. 

Usually  there  is  not  one  vowel  in  a  thousand  written  by 
the  Shorthand  writer,  yet  it  is  quite  essential  that  the  stu- 
dent should  thoroughly  acquaint  himself  with  them.  He 
should  do  this  for  two  reasons. 

First.  In  the  few  cases  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  insert 
the  vowels,  much  time  will  be  lost  unless  the  writer  is 
familiar  enough  with  them  to  insert  them  quickly.  A  few 
moments  lost  in  hesitating  as  to  just  where  to  place  a  vowel, 
or  the  lack  of  one  in  an  outline  which  will  prove  ambiguous 
without  it,  will  oftentimes  cause  considerable, and  serious 
trouble.  For  this  reason  it  is  important  that  the  student 
should  thoroughly  familiarize  himself  with  this  part  of  the 
study. 

Second.  In  most  systems  of  Shorthand  the  position  of 
the  consonant  outline  in  its  relation  to  the  line  upon  which 
the  writing  is  done,  depends  very  frequently  upon  the 
accented  vowel  in  the  word.  In  this  way  many  vowels  are 
indieated,*thus  saving  the  time  necessary  to  insert  them. 
It  is  for  the  purpose  of  indicating  them  by  the  position  of 
the  outline  that  a  knowledge  of  the  vowels  is  of  chief  im- 
portance. To  be  able  to  give  words  their  proper  positions, 
according  to  the  vowels  governing  them,  it  is  necessary, 
not  only  to  learn  the  vowels  as  a  whole,  but  also  quite  essen- 
tial to  learn  the  different  classes  governing  the  different 
consonant  positions. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS. 

There  are  various  suggestions  given  by  the  different 
writers  -who  have  published  text-books  on  the  subject  of 
Shorthand  as  to  the  best  method  to  be  pursued  by  the 
student  in  familiarizing  himself  with  the  vowels,  some  of 
which  methods  are  very  absurd.  The  plan  which  we  have 
adopted,  and  which  has  proven  very  successful,  is  to  give 
the  student,  for  practice  in  vocalizing,  lists  of  words  which, 
in  ordinary  writing,  are  generally  vocalized.  By  practice  of 
this  kind  the  student  does  not  form  the  habit  of  vocalizing 
words  which,  in  actual  practice,  should  not  be  vocalized; 
and  what  is  more,  he  does  become  accustomed  to  vocalizing 
those  words  which  require  it.  Lists  of  words,  of  which 
the  positions  are  governed  by  the  vowels,  should  also  be 
used  for  practice  by  the  student,  as  much  real  advantage 
may  be  gained  by  so  doing.  The  chief  difficulty  with  this 
plan  is  that  so  few  text-books  contain  lists  of  words  of  this 
kind.  Students  of  the  Benn  Pitman  or  Graham  systems 
will  find  that  the  "Reporting  Style  of  Shorthand"  contains 
many  special  lists  of  this  kind  which  will  be  found  very 
serviceable  to  any  one  who  will  secure  the  work  and  make 
use  of  them. 

XXXIII.     Practice  a  Little  Every  Day  Until  the  Sub- 
ject Is  Well  Understood. 

A  subject  only  partly  learned  is  very  easily  forgotten 
unless  daily  attention  is  given  to  its  study.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  Shorthand.  As  Shorthand  cannot  be  used  to 
much  advantage  until  all  the  principles  are  learned,  a  little 
time  each  day  should  be  given  to  the  study  until  it  is  well 
understood  as  a  whole.  When  the  connection  of  the  dif- 
ferent parts  is  seen  and  the  art  well  enough  understood  to 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

enable  one  to  make  practical  use  of  it,  it  will  be  valued  too 
highly  and  too  many  occasions  will  occur  when  it  can  be 
used  to  advantage  to  admit  of  the  possibility  of  its  ever 
being  forgotten. 

The  cry  that  unless  Shorthand  is  constantly  practiced  it 
will  be  entirely  forgotten  has  undoubtedly  been  caused  by 
that  large  class  of  people  who  have  once  begun  the  study, 
but  have  lacked  the  will  necessary  to  succeed.  They  never 
have  had,  at  best,  more  than  a  vague  idea  of  what  Short- 
hand really  is,  and,  not  having  enough  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject to  keep  it  constantly  before  their  minds  until  completed, 
have  given  it  up,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  have  forgotten 
what  little  they  ever  did  know  about  it.  Anything  thor- 
oughly understood  as  a  complete  whole  is  never  entirely 
forgotten.  But  that  stage  in  which  it  becomes  firmly  fixed 
in  mind  can  be  reached  only  by  constant  and  persistent 
practice,  no  day  being  allowed  to  pass  without  having  made 
some  advancement.  By  so  doing  there  is  no  danger  of 
one's  interest  flagging  and  of  his  giving  up  what  would 
otherwise  prove  so  interesting  and  profitable. 

XXXIV.     Until  the  Principles  Are  All  Learned,  Prac- 
tice Only  on  Words  Embodying  Those  You 
Have  Mastered,  and  No  Others. 

First  impressions  last  longest  and  are  the  hardest  to 
remove.  The  same  is  true  of  the  manner  in  which  we 
learn  to  do  things,  that  which  we  learn  first  always  coming 
the  most  natural  to  us.  This  is  especially  true  in  writing 
Shorthand,  since  a  person  in  trying  to  do  a  thing  quickly, 
as  ia  necessary  in  reporting,  is  almost  certain  to  go  about 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

it  in  the  manner  in  which  he  first  learned  to  do  it,  even 
though  it  be  a  much  longer  way. 

This  is  one  of  the  great  objections  to  the  manner  in 
which  most  Shorthand  text-books  are  arranged.  The  most 
satisfactory  way  would  be  to  give  for  practice  after  each 
principle  introduced  an  exercise  illustrating  the  use  of 
that  principle,  and  to  make  use  of  no  other  principles 
except  that  one  and  others  which  have  been  previously 
explained.  The  student  should  rigidly  confine  himself  to 
exercises  of  this  kind  until  all  the  principles  are  learned, 
and  he  may  then  be  assured  that  he  will  form  the  habit  of 
writing  but  few  words  incorrectly,  since  he  would  be  given 
no  word  to  write  until  all  the  principles  entering  into  its 
approved  outline  have  been  given  and  explained.  The 
student,  by  rigidly  abstaining  from  practicing  on  miscella- 
neous matter  until  all  the  principles  of  the  art  and  all  the 
word-signs  have  been  learned,  ought  to  have  but  little  diffi- 
culty in  deciding  at  once  what  principles  to  use  in  each 
word,  and  not  to  be  troubled  by  long  alphabetical  outlines 
continually  suggesting  themselves  to  the  mind. 

XXXV.     Keep  a  List  of  Word  and  Phrase-Signs  in 
Your  Pocket  to  Study  at  Leisure  Moments. 

At  least  one-third  of  the  work  of  learning  Shorthand  con- 
sists in  thoroughly  mastering  the  word  and  phrase-signs. 
By  always  having  a  list  of  these  signs  at  hand  and  making 
it  a  point  to  improve  now  and  then  your  leisure  moments 
which  would  otherwise  be  wasted,  much  of  the  mechanical 
part  of  the  work  may  be  accomplished.  The  author  of 
this  little  volume  was  at  first  discouraged  by  what  seemed 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

an  endless  task,  but  by  adopting  this  method  the  whole 
was  accomplished  with  apparently  no  effort  whatever.  In 
connection  with  this,  it  would  be  well  for  the  student  to 
have  about  him  some  exercise,  written  several  days  previ- 
ous, to  translate  as  occasion  offers.  This  will  prove  to  be 
a  very  great  help  in  enabling  the  student  to  read  readily 
matter  not  fresh  in  mind. 

XXXVI.     The  Student  Should   Make  Use  of  a  Dic- 
tionary in  all  Cases  of  Doubtful  Outlines. 

Every  good  system  of  Shorthand  has  a  dictionary  giving 
in  that  system  the  correct  outline  or  word-sign  for  all  the 
commonly  occurring  words  in  the  language.  These  outlines 
are,  as  a  rule,  those  made  use  of  by  the  best  .writers  of  that 
system,  and,  in  most  cases,  can  be  relied  upon  as,  being  the 
best  form  for  the  word.  By  a  regular  use  of , the  diction- 
ary the  student  will  learn  far  more  facile  outlines  for  all 
difficult  words  than  his  own  skill  will  be  likely  to  suggest. 
Without  such  help  he  will  learn  to  write  many  words  by 
more  difficult  forms  than  need  be,  since,  from  his  inexperi- 
ence, he  would  not  be  likely  to  think  of,  or.. even  know, 
which  are  really  the  best.  Even  if  the  student  had  thought 
of  the  proper  outline  for  some  difficult,  word,  it  would 
afford  him  considerable  satisfaction  and  encouragement  to 
look  up  the  word  and  be  assured  that  he  had  thought  of 
the  correct  form.  , 

Another  great  advantage  in  a  constant  use  of  a  diction- 
ary is  that,  in  looking  up  words,  many  principles  and  word- 
signs  will  be  recalled,  which  otherwise  would,  in  all  prob- 
ability, be  entirely  forgotten.  It  is  only  after  reviewing 


448304 


ONE  HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

the  principles  and  word-signs  over  and  over  again  that  it 
is  possible  to  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  them.  This 
can  be  done  in  no  better  way  than  by  constant  reference  to 
a  dictionary.  Every  reference  of  this  kind  will  give  an 
illustration  of  one  or  more  principles,  and  help  to  fix  them 
more  firmly  in  mind. 

XXXVII.     Several   Students   Should    Meet  Together 
Occasionally  for  Mutual  Practice. 

Every  Shorthand  student  should,  if  possible,  have  a  few 
fellow-students  or  classmates  with  whom  he  may  meet 
occasionally  for  practice.  Much  assistance  may  be  derived 
from  mutual  suggestions,  and  by  each  making  it  a  point  to 
correct  the  errors  he  may  notice  in  the  other's  work. 
Many  a  mistake  may  be  pointed  out  and  errors  corrected 
in  this  way  that  would  otherwise  be  unnoticed.  Another 
advantage  to  be  gained  by  this  plan  is  to  have  some  one 
dictate  to  you,  and  to  whom  you  could  dictate  in  return. 
The  student  should  make  it  a  point  to  do  as  little  writing 
as  possible  by  copying,  since  in  practice  all  Shorthand 
work  is  done  from  dictation.  This  plan  will  enable  one  to 
increase  his  speed  much  more  rapidly  than  could  be  done 
by  mere  copying.  The  student  is  also  more  apt  to  keep  up 
an  interest  in  the  study,  if  he  has  one  or  more  classmates. 
The  natural  disposition  which  most  young  people  have,  to 
be  as  good  as  their  classmates,  is  a  very  potent  factor,  and 
may  be  made  use  of  to  good  advantage  in  the  study  of 
Shorthand. 

The  difficulty  with  most  people  is  not  what  they  can  do 
but  what  they  will  do.  No  one  does  all  that  he  might. 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

The  most  successful  man  is  the  one  who  always  places 
himself  in  the  position  in  which  he  will  be  likely  to  accom- 
plish the  most.  Any  student  might  learn  history  or  math- 
ematics at  home,  yet  young  people  find  it  necessary  to  go 
to  some  college  or  university,  at  a  great  expense,  to  learn 
these  subjects.  They  do  this  for  the  simple  reason  that 
most  men  must  have  a  greater  incentive  to  hard  study  than 
the  mere  love  of  knowledge.  In  class  they  feel  that  to  fall 
behind  or  totally  fail  is  a  disgrace.  By  sheer  force  of  will 
the  same  result  might  be  reached  at  home,  but  only  a  few 
have  a  sufficient  amount  of  will-power  to  enable  them  to  do 
this.  This  being  the  case,  other  incentives  must  be  sought, 
and  nothing  will  serve  the  purpose  better  than  a  few  deter- 
mined fellow-students.  In  the  study  of  Stenography  this 
is  especially  desirable,  and  we  would  advise  every  one  who 
contemplates  learning  the  art  to  secure  some  friend  or 
acquaintance  to  pursue  the  course  with  him.  You  may  be 
assured  that  by  this  method  you  will  do  at  least  fifty  per 
cent,  better  than  by  studying  alone. 

XXXVIII.     First,  Acquire  Accuracy  and  then,  Speed. 

Too  often  students  get  the  false  idea  that  speed  is  the 
only  thing  needful  in  order  to  make  a  first-class  reporter. 
This  is  a  very  erroneous  notion ;  for  of  what  value  is  rapid 
writing,  if  it  is  not  done  correctly  ?  It  is  true  that  a  person 
may,  to  a  certain  extent,  become  accustomed  to  his  own 
errors,  yet  he  can  never  read  his  notes  as  fluently  as  if 
they  were  properly  written,  while  they  will  be  entirely  use- 
less to  any  one  else.  It  will  be  far  easier  to  overcome  the 
habit  of  writing  slowly  than  that  of  forming  outlines  incor- 
rectly. In  fact  the  latter  is  almost  impossible  to  overcome. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

Although  there  seems  to  be,  there  is  no  real  conflict  be- 
tween the  two.  The  student  ought  to  be  able  to  form  the 
habit  of  writing  correctly  without  any  danger  of  retarding 
.the  increase  of  his  speed. 

XXXIX.     Thoroughly  Memorize  all  the  Word  and 
Phrase-Signs. 

Almost  every  system  of  Shorthand  is  made  at  least 
twenty-five  per  cent,  shorter  by  its  word  and  phrase  con- 
tractions. 

These  are,  by  no  means,  arbitrary  signs,  but  consist  of 
.abbreviations  composed  of  the  principal  part  of  the  outline 
of  the  word  or  phrase  for  which  they  stand.  In  longhand 
writing,  the  words  for  which  we  have  abbreviations,  are,  as 
a  rule,  words  which  very  seldom  occur,  as,  for  example, 
Rev.,  Mr.,  Sept.,  Pres.,  etc.  In  Shorthand,  the  words  for 
which  there  are  brief  signs  are  those  which  occur  most 
frequently.  Such  words  as  is,  of,  or,  to,  which,  for,  all, 
shall,  will,  he,  him,  you,  your,  but,  if,  in,  on,  should,  our, 
the,  etc.,  have  in  Shorthand  contracted  forms  to  represent 
them. 

Although  there  are  but  a  few  hundred  of  these  contrac- 
tions, yet  it  is  almost  impossible  to  write  a  sentence  of  a 
half-dozen  words  without  using  one  or  more  for  which 
there  is  a  sign.  This  being  the  case,  it  becomes  very  im- 
portant that  you  have  these  signs  "upon  your  fingers'  ends." 
You  need  not  expect,  to  gain  any  considerable  degree  of 
speed  without  knowing  them  as  well  as  you  know  your 
a,  b,  c's. 
•  Not  only  be  able  to  write  them  correctly  at  slow  dicta- 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

tion,  but  also  know  them  so  well  that  the  sound  of  the 
word  will  cause  a  picture  of  the  outline  to  be  instantly 
formed  in  the  mind. 

XL.     Leave  Blank  Lines  or  a  Wide  Margin  for 
Corrections  after  Dictation. 

Every  Shorthand  student  will  find  it  advantageous  to 
leave  every  other  line  blank,  or  better,  to  have  his  note- 
book ruled  in  double  columns,  and  when  taking  dictation, 
either  in  class  or  privately,  to  use  one  column  only.  After- 
wards he  should  go  over  the  work  carefully,  re-writing  the 
whole  in  the  other  column  and  correcting  every  mistake  he 
may  have  made.  This  will  be  excellent  practice,  as  it  will 
enable  him  to  see  where  he  is  most  liable  to  err  in  writing. 
This  plan  is  also  very  valuable  in  taking  rapid  or  technical 
dictation.  It  gives  the  reporter  room  to  make  corrections 
or  to  insert  afterwards  any  part  that  may  have  been  omit- 
ted in  his  endeavor  to  keep  up  with  the  speaker.  Any 
report  which  is  to  be  got  up  with  a  great  deal  of  care,  or 
notes  taken  at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  should  be  gone  over 
soon  after  being  taken  while  it  is  still  fresh  in  the  mind, 
and  all  necessary  corrections  made.  This  can  not  be  done 
in  a  satisfactory  manner  unless  blank  lines  or  a  marginal 
column  has  been  left  for  that  purpose.  This  plan  is  adopt- 
ed by  a  large  number  of  reporters,  especially  in  doing 
technical  work,  and  is  certainly  an  excellent  one.  The 
marginal  column  need  not,  in  regular  work,  be  over  one- 
third  or  one-fourth  as  wide  as  the  one  in  which  you  take 
your  dictation,  since,  if  you  are  a  good  reporter,  the  cases 
where  any  corrections  are  needed  will  occur  only  occasion- 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

ally.  The  student,  however,  should  have  two  columns  of 
equal  width,  and,  for  some  time  after  beginning  regular 
dictation,  should  go  over  all  he  writes,  copying  the  whole 
and  correcting  every  mistake  that  may  be  found.  This 
should  be  strictly  adhered  to  by  the  student  for  at  least  a 
month  of  daily  practice.  The  real  benefit  derived  from 
such  practice  will  amply  repay  the  time  spent  in  that  way. 

XLI.     Shorthand  Notes  are  Seldom  Punctuated. 

In  verbatim  reporting,  and  in  very  many  other  kinds  of 
work  in  which  a  high  degree  of  speed  is  required,  no  time 
is  given  for  the  insertion  of  punctuation  marks.  By  a 
great  many  they  are  not  inserted  even  while  writing  long- 
hand, that  being  left  to  be  attended  to  afterwards,  if  done 
at  all.  It  is,  in  fact,  next  to  an  impossibility  for  one  to 
always  correctly  punctuate  a  sentence  until  he  has  heard 
the  whole  of  it,  and,  as  the  reporter  oftentimes  cannot  afford 
to  fall  so  far  behind  the  speaker,  it  is  plain  that  he  will 
find  it  quite  impossible  to  insert  the  marks  in  their  proper 
places.  Since  the  words  are  taken  down  just  as  they  are 
spoken,  it  is  easier  to  insert  the  marks  of  punctuation  when 
the  transcript  is  made,  for  then  more  time  is  allowed  to 
attend  to  it.  Generally  reporters  have  no  trouble  in  regard 
to  periods.  By  some  they  are  regularly  inserted.  The 
majority  of  reporters,  however,  do  not  take  the  trouble  to 
insert  even  these,  but  indicate  them  by  leaving  a  blank 
space  of  from  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch.  It  is 
much  easier  to  do  this,  and  it  serves  the  purpose  quite  as 
well. 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

XLII.     Do  not  Phrase  Over  any  Pause  or  Break  of 
Any  Kind  in  a  Sentence. 

Shorthand  notes,  when  properly  phrased,  are,  as  a  rule, 
more  legible  than  though  each  word  were  written  sepa- 
rately. In  speaking,  words  are  naturally  combined  into 
phrases,  clauses,  or  brief  sentences,  and,  in  reading,  one  is 
enabled  to  grasp  the  meaning  much  more  readily,  if  it  is 
possible  to  have  these  combinations  of  words,  which  are 
related  to  each  other  either  grammatically  or  rhetorically, 
set  off  in  some  way  from  what  precedes  and  from  what  fol- 
lows. In  longhand  this  is  done,  to  a  certain  extent,  by 
means  of  punctuation  marks,  which  are  of  great  assistance 
in  enabling  one  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  what  is  being  read. 
The  same  advantage  may  be  gained  in  Shorthand,  where, 
as  a  rule,  no  punctuation  marks  are  used,  by  uniting  those 
parts  of  a  sentence  which  are  naturally  related  to  each 
other.  In  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  help  which  may 
be  secured  in  this  way,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  unite 
words  between  which  there  is  any  grammatical  or  rhetor- 
ical pause.  Phrasing,  however,  cannot  be  made  use  of,  if 
the  words  composing  the  parts  which  would  naturally  be 
united  do  not  form  good  angles  in  joining. 

XLIII.     Shorthand  Notes  Must  be  Legible. 

Many  of  the  preceding  suggestions  bear  upon  this  one 
point.  This  suggestion  is  made  with  the  idea  of  impress- 
ing still  more  strongly  upon  the  mind  the  very  great  im- 
portance of  giving  special  attention  to  all  the  little  things 
connected  with  Shorthand.  It  is  the  neglect  of  details 
that,  in  most  cases,  causes  trouble  in  translating  notes. 


ONE  HDNDEED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS. 

Carelessness  in  shading,  in  making  the  proper  hooks,  in 
giving  the  letters  the  proper  slant,  in  position,  and  many 
other  things  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made, 
go  far  toward  making  the  writing  illegible.  Read  over 
carefully  all  that  has  been  said  concerning  these  points,  and 
do  not  allow  your  writing  to  be  lacking  in  respect  to  any  of 
them.  It  is  a  common  complaint  among  people  who  do 
not  know  anything  about  Stenography,  and  even  among 
many  who  do  pretend  to  understand  it,  that  Shorthand  can- 
not be  read.  As  a  rule,  this  is  caused  by  the  poor  writing 
of  those  who  have  not  thoroughly  learned  the  art;  yet  this 
is  not  always  the  case.  It  frequently  occurs  that  notes 
which  have  been  taken  very  accurately  cannot  be  read  at 
all  by  the  writer.  There  is  no  other  reason  for  this  than 
that  the  person  has  not  learned  to  read  Shorthand.  There 
is  a  vast  difference  between  writing  Shorthand  and  reading 
it.  And  here  is  where  a  great  many  fail,  simply  because 
they  learn  only  one  part  of  the  art  and  almost  entirely 
ignore  the  other.  Half  the  work  of  learning  Shorthand 
consists  in  acquiring  an  ability  to  read  without  hesitation 
what  has  been  written.  Until  one  acquires  ability  in  this 
direction  it  will  make  no  difference  how  plainly  he  may 
write,  his  Shorthand  will  not  be  legible  to  him.  The  ex- 
tent of  one's  ability  to  read  notes  will  determine  the  extent 
of  their  legibility  to  him,  since  legibility  to  each  one  de- 
pends very  much  upon  his  familiarity  with  the  characters 
and  the  ease  with  which  he  can  grasp  the  meanings  of  the 
various  combinations. 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

XLIV.     Do  Not  be  Afraid  to  Work. 

The  successful  student  does  not  become  such  except 
through  patient,  determined  effort.  It  makes  no  difference 
what  line  of  study  he  may  take  up,  or  how  great  an  amount 
of  natural  ability  he  may  have,  he  must  expect  to  make  an 
effort  before  he  can  hope  to  attain  to  any  measure  of  suc- 
cess whatever. 

Through  the  misrepresentations  so  often  made  by  un- 
scrupulous teachers  and  authors,  almost  all  people  have  the 
idea  that  the  study  of  Shorthand  is  different  from  that  of 
any  other  study,  and  that  the  application  necessary  to  fit 
one  for  successful  reporting  is  nothing  more  than  a  mere 
pastime.  Though  this  idea  is  a  common  one,  yet  it  could 
not  be  farther  from  the  truth.  To  master  Shorthand  re- 
quires work,  and  for  some  the  very  hardest  kind  of  work. 
Until  people  get  over  the  idea  that  Shorthand  may  be 
"  absorbed,"  we  shall  be  obliged  to  contend  with  a  large 
number  of  incompetent  writers.  While  people  have  such 
ideas,  it  is  little  wonder  that  at  least  one-third  of  those  who 
claim  to  be  capable  of  doing  good  work  have  never  half 
learned  the  art. 

It  does  not  take  a  great  while  for  a  person  of  ordinary 
ability  to  acquire  a  practical  knowledge  of  Shorthand,  but 
during  his  study  he  must  expect  to  put  some  honest  toil 
into  it  Although  it  is,  for  the  majority  of  people,  by  no 
means  the  most  difficult  study  in  which  one  may  engage,  it 
is  a  pastime  for  none,  and  the  sooner  people  find  this  out 
the  better  it  will  be  for  all  concerned. 


ONE   HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

XLV.    Learn  Thoroughly  the  First  Principles  of  Gram- 
mar, Punctuation,  and  Capitalization. 

In  taking  down  rapidly  the  words  of  another,  no  time  is 
allowed  for  giving  any  attention  to  matters  of  this  kind. 
Knowledge  of  them,  however,  is  absolutely  necessary  in 
order  to  make  an  acceptable  transcript  It  will  not  do  to 
write  out  a  speech  or  a  letter  as  though  it  were  one  long, 
loose  sentence  without  a  pause  or  a  capital  in  it.  Inability 
to  readily  capitalize,  punctuate,  and  re-arrange  poorly  con- 
structed sentences  will,  and  should  debar  one  from  the  pro- 
fession. There  are,  however,  thousands  of  people  who 
have  gathered  a  few  vague  ideas  from  some  work  on  Short- 
hand or  attended  some  school  with  a  "  sis  weeks'  course " 
in  the  art,  and  who  do  not  know  enough  to  capitalize  the 
word  America  or  to  place  an  interrogation  point  after  an 
expression  like  this:  "Does  he  know  anything?",  but  who 
ihink  they  are  competent  reporters.  It  is  such  that  are 
lowering  the  standard  of  the  profession,  and  are  either 
causing  or  raising  the  cry  of  an  over-supply.  To  give  sat- 
isfaction, the  young  reporter  must  be  able  to  carefully  cor- 
rect all  obvious  grammatical  errors  made  by  the  speaker, 
mark  off  sentences  properly,  insert  the  proper  marks  of 
punctuation,  and  capitalize  the  right  words.  In  order  to 
do  this,  no  small  amount  of  study  and  practice  must  be 
given  to  the  subject. 

XLVI.     In  All  Your  Practice  While  Learning  the  Art, 
Read,  at  Least  Once,  Everything  You  Write. 

This  is  a  part  of  the  student's  work  •which  is  quite  as 
essential  as  any  other,  and  yet  one  more  neglected  than 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

anything  else.  It  is  just  as  necessary  to  read  Shorthand 
notes  readily  as  it  is  to  write  rapidly.  Ability  to  do  this 
can  be  attained  only  by  perseverance  in  that  part  of  the 
work.  We  once  heard  a  professor  in  one  of  our  great  uni- 
versities say  that  he  had,  when  a  boy,  learned  Shorthand 
and  acquired  a  very  considerable  degree  of  speed  in  writ- 
ing, but  when  he  came  to  translate  his  first  actual  work  he 
was  totally  at  sea.  Like  Dickens,  he  had  either  to  go  back 
and  begin  over  again  or  give  it  up,  and  he  choose  the  latter. 
By  a  few  questions  we  learned  that,  up  to  the  time  he  had 
made  his  first  attempt  at  reporting,  he  had  never  read  a 
single  word  of  what  he  had  written. 

Beading  and  writing  are  two  very  distinct  operations. 
In  the  one,  the  word  suggests  the  outline,  while  in  the 
other,  it  is  the  reverse,  it  being  necessary  for  the  sign  to 
recall  the  word  for  which  it  stands.  As  before  stated,  a 
person  may  become  expert  in  writing  and  at  the  same  time 
be  unable  to  make  any  sense  at  all  out  of  his  notes.  So, 
also,  might  he  become  a  very  rapid  reader  of  plain  Short- 
hand notes  and  not  be  able  to  write  ten  words  per  minute. 
A  very  good  illustration  of  a  similar  phase  of  the  mind 
may  be  found  in  almost  any  one  of  the  large  numbers  who 
study  some  foreign  language  in  our  colleges.  They  are 
able  to  read  French  or  German  or  Latin  quite  fluently, 
while  it  is  very  likely  that  not  one  in  a  hundred  can  write 
a  single  sentence  readily  and  correctly.  If  we  would  only 
bear  in  mind  how  long  we  were  in  learning  to  read  long- 
hand, we  would  not  hesitate  about  devoting  the  compara- 
tively small  amount  of  time  necessary  to  enable  us  to  be- 
come expert  readers  as  well  as  writers  of  Shorthand. 

The  only  way  that  the  student  may  be  assured  he  ia 
4 


ONE   HUNDEED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

giving  enough  attention  to  this  part  of  the  work  is  to  read 
over,  at  least  once,  everything  he  writes.  With  this  amount 
of  practice  he  ought,  by  the  time  he  is  able  to  write  one 
hundred  words  per  minute,  to  be  able  to  read  his  notes 
quite  as  readily  as  he  does  ordinary  longhand. 

XLVII.     Occasionally  Read  Over  Notes  Written  Sev- 
eral Days  Before. 

The  student  can  easily  find  time,  and  should  make  it  a 
practice,  to  read  over  immediately  everything  he  has  writ- 
ten. When  he  begins  actual  reporting,  however,  he  will 
not  always  be  able  to  do  this.  In  Convention  and  Law 
reporting,  especially,  he  will  oftentimes  be  obliged  to  tran- 
scribe notes  taken  weeks  or  months  or,  it  may  be,  years 
before,  and  which  he  has  never  had  an  opportunity  to  read 
over  in  the  meantime.  It  also  often  occurs  that  an  amanu- 
ensis is  required  to  go  back  to  his  file  and  make  copies  of 
letters  or  documents  of  some  kind,  of  which  he  does  not 
remember  the  first  thing.  To  be  able  to  do  this  readily 
requires  more  or  less  practice  in  reading  notes  written 
some  time  previous,  a  drill  which  should  not  be  neglected 
by  the  student.  In  reading  what  has  been  written  only  a 
few  hours  before,  the  memory  plays  a  very  important  part; 
but  help  of  this  kind  is  entirely  wanting,  when  it  comes  to 
reading  old  notes.  To  read  readily  writing  which,  to  use 
the  common  phrase,  has  become  cold,  requires  the  peculiar 
faculty  of  being  able  to  grasp  the  sense  where  no  better 
clue  is  given  than  the  context  and  some  of  the  principal 
words.  The  student  will  find  this  rather  difficult  at  first, 
but  will  be  surprised,  as  he  practices  more  and  more,  at 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

the  ease  with  which  each  outline  will  suggest  the  proper 
word. 

The  reporter's  watchword,  "  Practice,"  is  too  often  under- 
stood only  to  mean  write,  when  it  should  also  mean  read, 
as  well  as  to  write.  And  it  should  not  only  mean  to 
read  each  sentence  or  paragraph  as  soon  as  written,  and 
while  it  can  almost  be  repeated  from  memory  and  the  notes 
then  to  be  destroyed,  but  should  mean  to  go  back  every 
now  and  then  and  translate  notes  where  the  memory  will 
not  assist,  and  where  there  is  nothing  upon  which  to  depend 
but  what  has  actually  been  written. 

XLVIII.     Be  Able  to  Go  Back  and  Read  Readily  Any- 
thing You  Have  Just  Written. 

It  quite  frequently  happens  in  dictating  that  a  person 
forgets  'tho  precise  statements  he  has  made.  This  will 
necessitate  his  calling  for  a  reading  of  a  portion,  or,  it  may 
l)e,  of  all  the  paper  or  letter  which  he  has  already  expressed. 

This  is  more  apt  to  occur  in  legal  work  and  in  those 
branches  of  commercial  reporting  where  exact  statements 
are  required.  The  reporter  should  be  able  to  go  back  and 
read  without  hesitation  any  portion  desired.  Ability  to 
do  this  can  be  acquired  only  by  persistent  practice.  It 
is,  however,  quite  necessary  that  the  reporter  be  able  to 
do  so,  and  he  should  not  consider  himself  competent  to 
fill  a  position  unless  he  is  able  to  read  without  hesitation, 
that  which  he  has  just  written.  Though  it  may  not  be 
possible  for  him  to  read  fluently  matter  which  has  been 
written  at  some  previous  time,  in  which  case  the  memory 
does  not  assist  him,  yet  he  ought  not  to  hesitate  in  reading 
matter  which  is  perfectly  fresh  in  mind. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

XLIX.     Correspond  in  Shorthand  with  Some  Other 

Student. 

There  are  several  advantages  to  be  gained  by  correspond- 
ing  in  Shorthand  with  some  other  student.  In  the  first 
place,  one  can  keep  up  a  much  greater  interest  in  the 
study.  I  would  especially  urge  the  student  to  do  this,  if 
he  ia  not  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  fellow  student  with 
whom  he  can  practice.  By  corresponding  in  Shorthand  and 
carefully  correcting  each  other's  work,  much  benefit  may 
be  derived;  though  this  plan  is  not  advisable  until  the  stu- 
dent is  well  through  the  principles.  If  an  attempt  is  made 
to  write  miscellaneous  matter  before  all  the  principles  are 
learned,  one  will  be  certain  to  form  many  words  with 
wrong  outlines.  Afterwards,  when  trying  to  do  rapid  work, 
there  will  be  danger  of  confusing  the  outline  first  learned 
with  the  correct  one.  A  letter  in  Shorthand  will  surely  be 
read,  and  practice  of  this  kind  will  aid  the  student  very 
materially  in  learning  to  read  his  notes  readily — a  thing 
which  too  many  are  unable  to  do. 

Another  advantage  which  will  result  from  Shorthand  cor- 
respondence will  be  the  ambition  aroused  in  each  to  do  as 
well  or  better  than  the  other.  This  spirit  of  emulation, 
which  is  a  plausible  one,  will,  oftentimes,  do  more  to  spur 
the  student  on  to  greater  efforts  than  he  is  aware  of,  and 
in  all  probability  will,  in  many  cases,  lead  on  to  a  far 
greater  degree  of  success  than  one  would  otherwise  attain. 

L.     Practice  on  Something  You  Wish  to  Learn. 

As  soon  as  you  are  able  to  write  miscellaneous  matter, 
the  best  plan  is  to  confine  yourself,  at  least  a  part  of  the 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

time,  to  practicing  upon  something  the  subject  matter  of 
which  you  wish  to  make  your  own.  Since  it  is  a  good  plan 
to  read  over  all  the  notes  you  take  at  dictation,  you  can  by 
this  means  become  possessed  of  many  important  facts  that 
would  otherwise  never  be  learned.  A  good  text-book  will 
have  the  explanations  of  the  principles  embodied,  as  far  as 
possible,  in  language  suitable  for  dictation  work.  This  end 
has  been  kept  constantly  in  view  in  the  choice  of  language 
in  these  suggestions.  The  student  who  is  just  beginning 
general  dictation  work  will  do  well  to  spend  a  portion  of 
every  dictation  exercise  in  writing  some  of  these  sugges- 
tions and  afterwards  translating  them  and  comparing  the 
translation  with  the  original.  This,  in  itself,  will  be  an 
excellent  exercise  for  the  student,  while  he  will  also  be 
acquiring,  without  effort,  many  valuable  points  which  will 
never  come  amiss  to  him,  both  in  studying  and  practicing 
the  art. 

LI.     Keep  Cool. 

If  there  is  one  thing  that  needs  emphasizing  more  than 
another  of  a  reporter's  qualifications,  it  is  to  keep  cool. 

Shorthand  needs  too  much  attention  to  be  written  prop- 
erly unless  one  is  perfectly  calm.  There  are  times  in  every 
reporter's  career,  even  if  he  is  only  an  amanuensis,  which 
will  require  all  the  nerve  that  he  can  control  to  enable  him 
to  "get  it  all  down." 

To  acquire  the  ability  to  keep  cool  under  all  circumstan- 
ces is,  for  most  people,  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  It  iat  in 
fact,  almost  an  impossibility  for  some.  Confining  ourselves 
within  the  limit  of  Shorthand,  there  is  no  better  way  to 
enable  the  reporter  to  be  deliberate,  under  all  circumstan- 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

ces,  than  a  thorough  preparation  for  the  work,  such  a  prep- 
aration as  will  inspire  a  confidence  that  you  are  equal  to- 
the  task  before  you.  This,  with  a  firm  determination  that 
you  will  succeed,  will  go  far  towards  making  you  deliberate 
and  insuring  your  success.  Always  bear  in  mind  that  a 
slow  writer  with  a  cool  head  will  accomplish  far  more  than 
a  much  more  rapid  reporter  who  cannot  control  himself, 
but  gets  nervous  at  every  little  thing  that  occurs  out  of  the 
regular  course  of  events. 

LI  I.     Educate  the  Eye  and  Ear,  as  we!!  as  the  Hand, 

The  eye  and  the  ear  need  training  quite  as  well  as  the 
hand.  There  is  little  or  no  danger  that  the  hand  will  not 
receive  enough  attention,  since  no  practice  can  be  done 
without  its  use.  This  is  too  often  considered  all  that  is 
necessary.  Many  students  get  the  idea  that  the  chief  requis- 
ite is  to  get  the  pencil  over  the  paper  rapidly.  The  proper 
cultivation  of  the  ear,  especially,  is  noglccted.  The  report- 
er's work  is  done  almost  exclusively  by  writing  from  an- 
other's speaking.  To  do  this,  well,  the  ear  and  hand  must 
be  trained  to  act  together.  It  is  just  as  necessary  that  the- 
ear  be  trained  to  catch  every  sound  as  it  is  that  the  fingers 
be  able  to  form  the  outlines  rapidly.  The  ear  can  be 
trained  in  no  better  way  than  by  careful  practice  in  writing 
at  dictation.  In  order  to  become  accustomed  to  different 
voices  and  different  styles  of  dictation,  it  is  well  to  have 
different  ones  dictate  or  read  to  you. 

The  eye  should  be  so  trained  as  to  recognize  forms  at 
once,  even  though  they  are  not  mechanically  e$act.  The 
best  way  to  accomplish  this  is  to  read  Shorthand.  Read 
over  all  your  own  notes,  and  as  much  as  you  can  of  others' 
writing. 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

To  be  an  expert  reporter  these  two  faculties  should  be  so 
well  trained  that  one  may,  without  effort,  catch  every  word 
of  a  speaker,  and  unconsciously  form  in  the  mind  the  out- 
line which  represents  it.  One  can  do  this  perfectly  only 
after  years  of  practice,  and  it  can  never  be  done  satis- 
factorily at  all  unless  the  student  is  careful  in  the  very  be- 
ginning. 

Llll.     Form  the  Habit  of  Picturing  in  Your  Mind  the 

Outlines  of  Words  You  Hear  in  Conversation 

or  See  in  Reading. 

Most  students  will  find  this  an  easy  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  very  profitable  habit  to  acquire.  Many  students 
experience  considerable  trouble  in  training  the  mind  to  act 
rapidly  in  recalling  the  proper  outlines  for  words.  They 
know  the  outline  well  enough  and  can  execute  it  rapidly 
when  once  they  are  able  to  recall  it,  but  too  often  they  have 
to  stop  and  think  what  it  is.  The  only  way  to  attain  abil- 
ity to  do  this  readily  is  by  practice.  Of  all  the  qualifica- 
tions necessary  for  a  reporter,  that  of  recalling  outlines 
readily  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  most  difficult  to 
acquire;  yet  by  a  little  effort  towards  forming  the  habit  of 
recalling  the  outlines  of  words  which  are  heard  and  read, 
one  will  soon  find  it  easy  to  write  without  hesitation  the 
outline  for  any  word  that  may  occur.  The  student,  how- 
ever, should  not  suppose  that  ability  to  recall  words  quickly 
is  all  that  is  necessary  to  enable  him  to  write  rapidly.  The 
fingers  must  also  be  trained  to  move  rapidly,  and  in  har- 
mony with  the  power  of  recalling  the  characters.  Hence, 
that  kind  of  drill  which  will  bring  both  into  action  at  once, 
and  train  them  to  act  harmoniously  should  not  be  neglected. 


ONE  HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

LIV.     Write  Your  Shorthand  Characters  Near 
Each  Other. 

There  are  three  important  points  to  be  gained  by  making 
use  of  this  suggestion.  In  the  first  place,  time  is  saved.  It 
takes  as  long  again  to  move  a  quarter  of  an  inch  as  it  does 
to  move  an  eighth,  and  to  save  half  the  time  generally 
taken  by  most  Shorthand  writers  who  separate  their  char- 
acters quite  widely  will  be  found  to  considerably  increase 
one's  speed.  A  second  advantage,  though  apparently  a 
trifling  one,  is  the  saving  of  paper,  which  may  be  made  by 
writing  the  signs  much  nearer  to  each  other  than  most  re- 
porters do.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  a  great  many  re- 
porters leave  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  much  blank  space  be- 
tween the  characters  as  is  occupied  by  the  outlines  them- 
selves. With  the  reporter  who  is  doing  a  large  amount  of 
writing  this  will  prove  to  be  no  small  item.  Besides,  it 
makes  the  work  look  more  compact  and  connected  than  if 
each  word  or  phrase  stood  out  as  though  it  were  an  iso- 
lated or  disjoined  part.  A  third  advantage  to  be  urged  in 
favor  of  writing  the  characters  closely  together  is  that  it 
enables  the  writer  to  indicate  more  readily  by  a  blank 
space  a  full  pause  or  any  important  break  in  the  sentence. 
It  would  be  hard  to  thus  indicate  these  unless  the  words 
were  Avritten  reasonably  close  together. 

LV.     Copy  Several  Times  All  the  Phrases  Given  in 
the  Phrase  Book. 

Every  system  of  Shorthand  has  or  should  have  a  book 
of  phrases  as  well  as  a  dictionary.  Much  time  may  be 
saved  and  in  many  places  the  sense  made  plainer  by  prop- 


TO   SHOKTHAND   STUDENTS. 

erly  joining  the  words  into  phrases.  'All  tha  words  of 
short  sentences  even  may  be  joined,  if  a  good  angle  occurs 
at  each  juncture.  The  student  from  his  inexperience  can- 
not, of  course,  always  know  when  it  is  best  to  join  words, 
and  when  not  to  join  them.  In  fact  he  will  find  that  learn- 
ing to  phrase  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  things  he  will 
meet  with  in  his  endeavor  to  become  a  reporter. 

The  beginner  is  very  apt  to  phrase  too  much.  He  is 
liable  to  join  words  when  the  angle  between  them  is  very 
slight.  This  may  be  done  while  writing  slowly,  since  a 
slight  angle  could  then  be  made  distinct,  but  the  student 
must  bear  in  mind  that  only  those  words  should  be  united 
which  may  readily  be  joined,  and  between  which  the  angles 
are  such  that  they  may  be  easily  and  distinctly  made  while 
writing  rapidly.  He  can  learn  this  only  by  gaining  his  in- 
formation from  those  who  have  had  experience,  or  from 
some  work  embodying  the  results  of  the  experience  of 
some  practical  reporter,  since  the  student  himself  can  have 
had  no  chance  to  gain  such  information  from  his  own 
practice. 

A  good  phrase  book  will  contain  all  the  commonly  occur- 
ring phrases  which  are  easily  and  readily  formed  while 
writing  at  a  high  rate  of  speed.  By  writing  them  ten  or 
fifteen  times,  the  student  will  find  himself  almost  uncon- 
sciously overcoming  what  before  seemed  an  insurmount- 
able obstacle. 

LVI.     Learn  to  Keep  Long  Sentences  in  Mind. 

With  the  reporter  ability  in  this  direction  is  quite  essen- 
tial to  success,  not  only  in  taking  notes  but  also  in  making 
transcripts  of  the  same. 


ONE   HUNDRED  VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

Although  it  is  advisable  for  the  reporter  to  closely  follow 
the  speaker,  yet  he  should  be  able  to  occasionally  fall  con- 
siderably behind,  and  at  the  same  time  not  lose  a  word  that 
is  uttered.  Unless  the  student  has  acquired  ability  to  do 
this,  he  will  be  sure  to  fail  when  an  unexpected  spurt  is 
made  by  the  speaker.^  He  will  have  ample  opportunity  to 
catch  up  during  the  pause  which  a  speaker  always  makes 
after  every  flight  in  his  delivery. 

Ability  to  retain  long  sentences  in  mind  will  also 
prove  of  advantage  in  transcribing,  since  it  will  save  a  vast 
amount  of  time  in  referring  back  and  forth  from  the  copy 
to  the  work.  A  person  in  copying  should  be  able  to 
retain  at  least  twenty-five  or  thirty  words  in  his  mind  at  a 
time.  By  being  able  to  do  this,  work  may  be  done  much 
more  rapidly. 

One's  ability  in  this  direction  will  depend,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, upon  his  practice  and  the  kind  of  matter  to  be  copied. 
Much  improvement,  however,  maybe  made  by  constant  and 
patient  endeavor.  Persons  who,  at  first,  are  not  able  to 
retain  half  a  dozen  simple  words  can  easily  increase  their 
ability  at  least  fourfold. 

LVII.     Reporters  Often  Contract  Long  Outlines. 

In  writing  words  with  long  outlines  or  terms  composed 
of  several  words  which  occur  quite  frequently  in  a  long  re- 
port or  in  a  business  in  which  one  is  engaged,  the  reporter 
will  find  it  greatly  to  his  advantage  to  abbreviate  the  out- 
lines to  a  considerable  extent.  This  would  not  do,  if  they 
occurred  only  rarely,  as  very  little  and  often  times  no  help 
at  all  could  be  derived  from  the  context  in  reading;  but  in 
matter  in  which  they  appear  scores  of  times  no  trouble 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

need  be  caused  by  contracting  them  very  considerably 
every  time  they  occur. 

In  various  kinds  of  law  reporting,  especially,  certain  long 
legal  terms  occur  very  frequently.  The  outline  for  these 
should  be  contracted  by  the  reporter.  Every  kind  of  busi- 
ness, in  fact,  has  a  large  number  of  words  and  phrases 
peculiar  to  itself  and  for  which  the  reporter  can  easily  form 
contractions.  It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  word-signs 
for  such  words  are  not  given  in  works  on  Shorthand.  This 
is  not  advisable,  for  the  reason  that  there  has  come  to  be 
such  a  great  variety  of  work  for  reporters  that,  if  each  were 
to  learn  all  the  special  contractions  used  in  every  kind  of 
business,  he  would  be  obliged  to  tax  his  memory  with  a 
very  large  list  of  signs  which,  in  practice,  he  would  never 
have  occasion  to  use. 

With  the  present  confusion  of  so  many  systems  we  can 
see  no  better  plan  than  for  each  Stenographer  to  adopt 
brief  outlines  for  those  words  and  expressions  which  are  of 
most  frequent  occurrence  in  the  line  of  work  in  which  he 
is  engaged.  Care  should,  of  course,  be  taken  to  adopt  only 
those  forms  which  are  both  brief  and  easily  written  and  at 
the  same  time  full  enough  to  save  trouble  in  reading  them. 

LVI1I.      Do  Not  Allow  the  Pen  to  Stop  Between  the 

Different  Parts  of  a  Word  or  Different  Words 

of  a  Phrase. 

Students  are  apt  to  fall  into  the  habit  of  making  a  full 
stop  at  angles  and  even  between  letters  where  there  is  no 
angle  at  all.  Where  there  is  an  acute  angle  to  be  formed 
a  stop  must,  of  course,  be  made,  yet  it  need  not  be  a  per- 
ceptible one.  .  If  there  is  no  angle  at  all  and  the  parts  are 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

joined  by  a  curved  stroke,  no  pause  whatever  should  be 
made.  Much  time  is  lost  by  pauses  of  this  kind,  and,  un- 
less the  student  is  careful,  he  will  allow  this  habit,  which 
lie  necessarily  formed  in  the  very  beginning  of  his  prac- 
tice, to  become  so  strong  that  it  will  be  hard  to  overcome. 

LIX.     Always    Have  the   One  Who  Dictates   to  You 
Speak  a  Little  Faster  Than  You  Can  Write. 

If  nothing  of  this  kind  is  done  to  urge  you  to  greater 
efforts,  you  can  not  expect  to  increase  your  speed  very  rap- 
iJly.  The  teacher  who  understands  his  business  will,  by  a 
regular  increase  in  his  rate  of  dictation,  gradually  lead  his 
pupil  up  to  a  speed  that  will  enable  him  to  do  practical 
work.  This,  however,  must  be  done  slowly.  Speed  in 
Shorthand  is  not  acquired  by  long  and  rapid  strides.  It  is 
uphill  work,  and  proficiency  can  be  attained  only  by  tak- 
ing one  small  step  at  a  time  until  the  utmost  limit  is 
reached. 

LX.     Learn  to  Operate  the  Type-Writer. 

Shorthand  and  type-writing  are  twin  brothers.  I  might 
almost  say  Siamese  twins.  Until  within  the  last  few  years 
it  was  not  considered  a  necessary  qualification  for  a  reporter 
to  understand  the  use  of  the  type-writer.  During  late  years, 
however,  writing  machines  have  been  so  greatly  improved 
that  by  their  use  much  time  may  be  saved,  both  in  writing 
and  reading.  As  a  result,  the  majority  of  places  where  a 
large  amount  of  writing  is  done,  and  especially  where  a 
Stenographer  is  employed,  the  type-writer  is  also  used. 
By  the  use  of  the  writing  machine,  notes  may  be  tran- 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

scribed  in  at  least  one-half  the  time  required  in  long-hand, 
and  in  a  far  more  legible  manner.  Another  very  great  ad- 
vantage in  the  use  of  the  type-writer  is  that  one  may  make 
two  or  more  copies  at  the  same  time  without  extra  work. 
One  can  also  write  much  longer  without  tiring  the  muscles 
of  the  hand  as  is  done  in  writing  long-hand,  since  there  is 
more  variation  in  the  movement,  and  both  hands  are  used. 
Pen  paralysis  is  destined  to  become  a  thing  of  the  past,  and 
writing  will  come  to  be,  in  a  great  measure,  a  pastime  in- 
stead of  the  drudgery  it  is  with  the  pen. 

Before  beginning  to  practice  upon  the  type-writer  the 
student  should  have  a  thorough  explanation  of  the  ma- 
chine made  to  him  by  some  experienced  operator,  or  make 
a  thorough  study  of  it,  guided  by  some  manual  of  instruc- 
tion. 

Speed  depends,  to  a  great  extent,  upon  a  systematic  man- 
ipulation of  the  keys,  and  unless  care  is  taken,  especially  in 
the  beginning,  one  will  become  accustomed  to  make  many 
moves  which  will  retard  rather  than  facilitate  the  work.  It 
may  be  monotonous  at  first,  yet  it  is  very  essential  that  the 
beginner  adhere,  as  nearly  as  possible,  to  some  regular 
system  of  practice  until  he  can  follow  it  without  conscious 
effort. 

LXI.     Learn  to  Take  Care  of  the  Type-Writer. 

There  is,  probably,  not  more  than  one  place  in  fifty  where 
Stenography  is  made  use  of  in  which  the  reporter  is  not 
only  expected  to  know  how  to  operate  the  type-writer,  but 
is  also  supposed  to  understand  how  to  take  care  of  the  ma- 
chine. For  one  who  thoroughly  understands  the  machine 
keeping  it  in  good  running  order  is  no  task  at  all.  The 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS. 
| 

later  styles  of  type-writers  are  so  simple  that  after  a  few 
hours'  examination,  any  person  ought  to  understand  the 
workings  of  all  its  parts  well  enough  to  run  it  with  the  least 
possible  wear.  This,  however,  is  far  from  being  the  case. 
So  much  so,  that  one  would  suppose  the  ordinary  type- 
written letters  sent  out  by  the  majority  of  our  large  busi- 
ness houses  were  written  on  a  machine  which  had  been 
used  for  an  age,  when,  in  all  probability,  six  months  would 
include  the  full  extent  of  its  usage;  yet  a  good  type-writer 
properly  taken  care  of  ought  to  do  five  hours'  work  or  more 
every  day  for  ten  years. 

Every  type-writer  company,  in  sending  out  its  machines, 
sends  with  each  one  a  book  of  instructions.  This  is  gen- 
erally very  explicit  in  its  directions,  and  any  one  who  will 
give  these  a  little  careful  study  ought  to  have  no  trouble  in 
keeping  his  instrument  in  order.  The  great  trouble  is  that 
the  majority  of  operators  have  never  seen  one  of  these 
books.  Another  trouble  arises  from  the  fact  that  very  few 
ever  pay  the  least  attention  to  the  mechanism  of  their  ma- 
chines. It  does  not  require  a  mechanical  genius  to  find 
the  difficulty  when  something  gets  out  of  order,  nor  does 
it  take  an  expert  to  regulate  all  the  different  parts;  but  it 
does  require  that  a  little  common  sense  be  used,  a  thing 
which  is  too  seldom  done  by  a  great  many  so-called  type- 
writer operators. 

The  use  of  the  type- writer  would  be  greatly  increased 
were  it  not  for  the  discredit  cast  upon  it  by  the  work  of  so 
many  poor  operators.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  type- 
writer is  a  really  excellent  machine,  and  that  it  will,  some 
day,  supersede  the  use  of  the  pen;  but  it  can  never  be  done 
until  a  higher  standard  of  work  is  demanded.  This  point 


TO   SHORTHAND    STUDENTS 

cannot  be  reached  until  operators  better  understand  the 
machine  they  operate,  and  take  more  pride  in  their  work. 

LXII.      Practice  on  the  Kind    of    Business  in  Which 
You   Expect  to  Engage. 

What  we  mean  by  this  suggestion  is  to  familiarize  your- 
self, as  far  as  possible,  with  the  nature  and  especially  the 
duties  connected  with  the  business  upon  which  you  intend 
to  enter.  For  instance,  suppose  you  intend  to  act  as  an 
amanuensis  for  some  wholesale  book  and  publishing  house, 
you  will  find  that  the  more  you  know  of  the  book  trade, 
and  especially  the  correspondence  connected  therewith,  the 
easier  it  will  be  for  you  to  secure  a  position,  and  to  fill  it 
satisfactorily  after  you  have  secured  it. 

Of  course  there  will  be  a  great  deal  you  cannot  learn  un- 
til you  are  actually  engaged  in  the  work,  yet  a  few  general 
ideas  of  a  business  will  give  a  person  more  confidence  in 
himself  than  he  would  otherwise  have,  and  also  enable  him 
to  understand  many  other  things  much  more  readily  than 
he  otherwise  would. 

If  possible,  the  student  should  secure  letters  or  copies  of 
letters  relating  to  the  business  in  which  he  expects  to  en- 
gage, and  by  their  help  familiarize  himself,  as  far  as  may 
be,  with  the  technical  terms  and  peculiarities  of  that  par- 
ticular kind  of  work. 

The  student  who  is  fitting  himself  for  general  work  can- 
not, of  course,  profit  much  by  this  suggestion,  and  he  will 
find  his  work  proportionally  harder  in  the  beginning. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

LXIII.     The  Amanuensis  May  Adopt,  to  Good  Advan- 
tage, Contracted  Forms  for  a  Large  Number  of 
Words  and  Expressions  of  Frequent  Oc- 
currence in  His  Special  Work. 

Every  kind  of  profession  or  business  has  a  large  number 
of  words  and  phrases  peculiar  to  it  Outside  of  the  range 
of  these  particular  branches  these  words  are  very  seldom 
used.  Hence  it  is  not  advisable  for  the  student  to  spend 
time  in  learning  a  long  list  of  abbreviations,  a  large  per 
cent,  of  which  are  made  use  of  only  in  special  lines  of 
work.  The  better  plan  is  for  the  student  to  learn  only  the 
signs  for  the  most  commonly  occurring  words  and  phrases. 
Then,  when  he  has  decided  to  engage  in  any  particular 
kind  of  business,  or,  better,  after  he  has  had  opportunity 
to  gain  some  experience  in  it,  he  will  find  it  an  easy  matter 
to  contract  the  outlines  for  the  words  and  phrases  peculiar 
to  that  profession  or  business,  and  for  the  stereotyped  ex- 
pressions to  which  his  employer  is  particularly  addicted. 

Most  reporters  devise  contractions  for  such  terms  and 
expressions,  and  find  them  very  helpful  in  expediting  their 
work  and  in  no  way  affecting  the  legibility  of  their  notes. 

LXIV.     Do  Some  Practical  Work  for  Some 
Business  Man. 

The  best  kind  of  practice  the  student  can  have,  after  he 
has  learned  the  principles,  is  that  which  approaches  most 
nearly  to  the  kind  of  work  he  will  be  obliged  to  do  in  act- 
ual reporting.  Business  men,  in  fact,  prefer  those  who 
have  had  some  practical  experience,  and  in  order  to  be  able 
to  satisfy  them  that  you  are  not  a  mere  beginner,  you  should 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

secure  some  actual  practice  just  for  the  experience  it  will 
give.  Go  to  some  business  man  who  has  more  or  less  cor- 
respondence and  offer  to  take  all  his  letters  for  a  while 
without  wages.  You  can  well  afford  to  do  this.  In  the 
first  place,  you  would  be  fitting  yourself  for  the  actual 
work  in  the  most  thorough  and  practical  manner  possible. 
If  your  work  is  satisfactory,  and  you  ought  not  to  expect 
a  paying  position  until  it  is,  it  would  be  much  easier  to 
secure  a  situation  and  to  fill  it  acceptably  than  you  might 
otherwise  hope  to  do.  Another  advantage  that  often  arises 
from  such  a  course  is  in  causing  the  man  for  whom  you 
work  to  learn  to  appreciate  the  advantages  of  Shorthand, 
and,  in  this  way,  cause  a  demand  for  your  own  employment, 
or  for  that  of  some  other  Shorthand  writer. 

LXV.     A  Knowledge  of  Book-Keeping  and  Business 

Forms  is  Often  Very  Serviceable 

to  the  Amanuensis. 

There  are  many  places  where  the  services  of  a  Stenog- 
rapher are  required,  although  there  is  not  enough  work  in 
that  line  to  keep  one  constantly  employed.  In  cases  of 
this  kind  an  amanuensis  is  usually  required  to  assist  in 
keeping  the  books,  filling  out  orders,  checking  bills,  or 
something  of  a  similar  nature. 

Situations  of  this  kind  are,  of  late,  becoming  very  com- 
mon. Heretofore,  those  whose  business  was  not  extensive 
enough  to  enable  them  to  give  a  Stenographer  steady  em- 
ployment have  not  made  use  of  such  assistance  at  all. 
They  are,  however,  beginning  to  realize  that  they  can  gain 
the  advantage  of  such  help  by  employing  a  reporter  who 
can  also  assist  at  other  things  when  not  engaged  in  steno- 
graphic work. 
5 


ONE  HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

This  is  opening  for  Stenographers  a  new  field  which  will, 
before  many  years,  more  than  double  the  demand  for  Short- 
hand writers.  In  order  to  occupy  this  field,  the  reporter 
must  qualify  himself  for  the  other  duties  which  will  nec- 
essarily be  coupled  with  it. 

LXVI.      Do  Not  Disturb  the  One  Dictating. 

This  suggestion,  it  is  plain,  will  apply  more  particularly 
to  those  engaged  in  amanuensis  work. 

In  composing  letters  the  dictator  is  governed  by  the  same 
feeling  which  controls  one  while  conversing  with  another. 
He  talks  as  if  the  party  to  whom  he  is  writing  were 
actually  present,  and  he  were  speaking  to  him,  answering 
some  important  question,  or  making  some  proposition.  This 
being  the  case,  any  interruption  will  be  just  as  disagreeable 
as  though  he  were  in  actual  conversation  with  the  corre- 
spondent himself. 

It  also  requires  considerable  mental  effort  to  indite 
letters  and  other  matter  rapidly  and  correctly,  and  any 
unnecessary  interruption,  either  by  lack  of  speed,  being 
nervous,  or  by  asking  questions,  will  tend  to  confuse  the 
dictator  and  make  him  impatient.  In  order  to  give  satis- 
faction, such  things  must  be  scrupulously  avoided. 

The  amanuensis  should  also  hold  himself  in  readiness  to 
begin  writing  at  the  very  instant  his  employer  begins  to 
dictate.  The  necessity  of  so  doing  is  caused  by  the  fact 
that  most  people  who  have  amanuenses  are  people  who  do 
not  understand  Shorthand,  and  who  cannot  realize  that  it 
is  possible  for  the  reporter  to  get  all  they  say  unless  he 
begins  to  write  at  the  very  moment  the  dictating  com- 
mences. Although  it  may  be  perfectly  safe  to  fall  fifteen  or 


TO  SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

twenty  words  behind  the  speaker,  still,  in  most  cases,  much 
hesitation  and  nervousness  on  the  part  of  the  dictator  may 
be  avoided  by  being  ready  to  take,  as  soon  as  uttered,  the 
very  first  word,  both  at  the  beginning  o£  letters  and  after 
each  pause  made  by  the  one  dictating. 

LXVII.   In  Doing  Amanuensis  Work,  if  Any  Important 

Statement  Is  Not  Distinctly  Heard,  Call 

for  Its  Repetition. 

This  may  seem  to  be  in  contradiction  to  the  preceding 
suggestion.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  It  would 
hardly  be  considered  any  more  of  an  interruption  to  ask 
the  dictator  to  repeat  a  statement  that  had  not  been  dis- 
tinctly heard  than  it  would  be  for  one  person  to  ask  another 
to  repeat  something  which,  in  ordinary  conversation,  he 
had  not  heard  or  the  meaning  of  which  he  had  not  under- 
stood. 

If  it  is  only  a  matter  of  minor  importance  that  is  not 
exactly  understood,  it  is  better  to  let  it  pass  until  the  end  is 
reached,  and  then  ask  for  its  repetition.  Blank  space 
should  be  left,  however,  to  insert  anything  that  may  have 
been  lost.  It  would  also  be  well  to  make  some  sign  on  the 
margin  to  indicate  where  the  omission  was  made  or  other- 
wise in  looking  for  it;  the  blank  may  be  taken  simply  for  a 
pause  or  change  in  the  subject,  and  thus  be  overlooked. 

LXVIII,    The  Amanuensis  Should  Leave  a  Wide  Mar- 
gin so  as  to  Have  Room  to  Make  Any  Inser- 
tions Which  the  Dictator  May 
Afterwards  Desire. 

It  very  often  occurs,  especially  in  dictating  legal  and 
.other  technical  matter,  that  the  dictator  wishes  to  go  back 


ONE   HUNDRED  VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

and  insert  some  clause,  modify  some  statement,  or  give  a 
more  complete  explanation  of  some  difficult  point.  Unless 
a  margin  is  left  beside  the  notes,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
make  a  note  of  the  changes  at  the  close  of  the  dictation.. 
When  placed  at  the  end  it  frequently  occurs  in  transcribing 
that  they  are  forgotten  until  it  is  too  late  to  write  them  in 
their  proper  places.  Some  amanuenses  always  place  any- 
thing of  this  kind  at  the  end,  and  then  insert  some  sign  in 
the  notes  where  the  insertion  is  to  be  made.  This  is  just 
as  good  a  plan  only  it  requires  more  time  and  is  apt  to  be 
misunderstood  by  others  "who  may  have  occasion  to  refer 
to  the  notes  at  some  future  time. 

LXIX.     Keep  a  List  of  the  Full  Names  and  Postoffice 
Addresses  of  All  Regular  Correspondents. 

By  keeping  a  list  of  this  kind,  the  full  name  and  address 
need  not  be  written  out  at  the  beginning  of  each  Short- 
hand letter.  This  will  avoid  the  necessity  of  keeping  one's 
employer  waiting  while  the  names  are  being  written,  and 
also  save  him  the  trouble  of  repeating  before  each  letter 
the  full  name  and  address  of  the  party  to  whom  he  is 
writing.  The  date,  with  the  full  name  and  address,  may  be 
filled  in  afterwards.  This  may  seem  to  some  like  a  small 
matter,  but  when  one  has  to  write  a  hundred  or  a  hundred 
and  fifty  short,  pointed  business  letters  at  a  single  take,  he 
will  find  that  nearly  as  much  time  will  be  occupied  in  writ- 
ing out  the  full  heading  for  each  letter  as  is  necessary  to 
write  the  whole  body  of  the  letter  in  Shorthand.  Even  if 
the  Stenographer  does  not  care  to  keep  a  list  of  the  princi- 
pal correspondents,  he  need  not  always  write  the  name  in 
full  when  taking  the  letters,  as  he  will  be  able,  after  a  little 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

practice,  to  fill  out  most  of  them  from  memory.  All  those 
who  cannot  safely  trust  their  memory  to  do  this  should  be 
sure  to  keep  a  full  list  of  the  regular  correspondents. 

LXX.     Keep  Your  Own  Counsel. 

The  Stenographer,  like  everybody  else,  must,  in  a  certain 
sense,  be  a  machine.  This  arises  from  the  fact  that  in 
many  cases  confidential  matter  of  the  gravest  importance 
is  often  dictated  to  him,  and  unless  he  exerts  the  utmost 
care,  he  will  be  apt,  inadvertently  it  may  be,  to  betray  a 
knowledge  of  his  employer's  affairs  to  those  who  would 
take  advantage  of  it.  Again,  it  frequently  occurs  in  some 
kinds  of  business  that  the  Stenographer  is  approached  for 
the  special  purpose  of  persuading  him  to  make  known  his 
employer's  intentions  or  plans.  Attempts  may  even  be 
made  to  bribe  him  in  order  to  secure  the  desired  informa- 
tion. Aside  from  the  moral  phase  of  the  question,  the 
Stenographer  can,  by  no  means,  afford  to  betray  his  em- 
ployer's secrets  to  others.  Once  let  it  be  proven  that  he 
has  done  such  a  thing  and  his  prospects  as  a  reporter  will 
be  ruined. 

Morally  it  is  wrong,  and  financially  it  is  a  losing  invest- 
ment. If  you  find  that  you  have  a  tendency  to  speak  of 
things  pertaining  to  your  work  to  those  not  connected  with 
the  business,  it  would  be  well  to  form  the  habit  of  rigidly 
refusing  to  speak  of  your  employer's  affairs  at  all.  By  so 
doing  there  is  no  risk  of  being  surprised  into  statements 
which  may  afterwards  be  regretted. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

LXXI.     Perform  Your  Work  to  Suit  Your  Employer. 

Tour  employer  pays  you  for  your  services,  and  they  should 
therefore  be  rendered  in  a  way  agreeable  to  his  wishes.  Too 
often  beginners  are  informed,  soon  after  taking  a  position, 
that  their  services  are  no  longer  required,  simply  because 
they  have  persisted  in  doing  things  as  they  themselves 
thought  best,  when  they  were  well  aware  that  their  employer 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  or  having  the  same  things 
done  in  another  way.  Although  you  may  be  sure  that 
your  methods  are  better,  if  he  does  not  think  so,  that  should 
end  the  matter. 

In  most  matters  relating  to  the  Shorthand  part  of  the 
business,  employers  leave  all  to  the  management  of  their 
amanuenses.  They  do,  however,  generally  have  some  reg- 
ular forms  which  they  have  followed  for  years;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, they  have  a  certain  plan  of  filing  away  their  letters, 
and  do  not  wish  to  disarrange  their  business  by  changing, 
even  though  some  new  plan  might  be  a  little  better.  The 
amanuensis  should  be  perfectly  willing  to  adapt  himself  to 
such  arrangement.  In  case  no  particular  forms  have  been 
made  use  of,  and  the  employer  is  willing  that  the  reporter 
introduce  plans  of  his  own,  there  can  be  no  objection  to  his 
doing  so. 

LXXII.     Take  an  Interest  in  Your  Employer's  Affairs. 

This  will  apply  in  general  to  those  engaged  in  any  kind 
of  business,  but  certainly  applies  with  special  force  to  the 
amanuensis  reporter.  As  such,  the  reporter  knows  more 
about  his  employer's  business  than  any  other  person  in  his 
service.  He  cannot  help  knowing  all  about  many  of  his 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

employer's  intentions  and  plans.  Being  thus  situated  he 
ought  to  manifest  an  interest  in  the  business.  Knowing  so 
much  about  the  business,  it  can  scarcely  be  that  he  will  not 
have  many  confidences  trusted  to  him.  It  will  also  very 
frequently  happen  that  the  reporter  will  learn  of  things 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  his  employer.  When  anything  of 
this  kind  occurs  he  should  feel  it  his  duty  to  give  him  the 
benefit  of  such  knowledge.  The  amanuensis  may,  in  this 
way,  be  able  to  give  timely  warning  against  some  course 
that  might  occasion  serious  loss,  or,  at  another  time,  he 
may  gain  some  information  by  which  his  employer  might 
greatly  profit.  Anything  of  this  kind  will  be  duly  appre- 
ciated, and  will  be  almost  sure  to  result  in  the  promotion 
of  employees  who  take  the  trouble  to  so  interest  them- 
selves. 

LXXIII.     Secure  a  Seat  in  Front  of  and  as  Near  the 
Speaker  as  Possible. 

In  amanuensis  work  the  reporter  generally  performs  his 
duties  in  the  private  office  of  his  employer  where  there  is 
not  likely  to  be  anything  to  disturb  or  interrupt.  Report- 
ing in  public,  however,  is  quite  different,  and  to  avoid  the 
danger  of  missing  any  part  of  the  proceedings,  the  reporter 
should  make  it  a  point  to  secure  a  suitable  location.  As  a 
rule,  it  will  be  found  that  a  position  immediately  in  front 
of  the  speaker  will  be  most  suitable.  When  it  is  expected 
that  reports  are  to  be  made,  tables  ara  generally  furnished, 
and  placed  in  the  most  convenient  position  for  the  use  of 
reporters. 

Never  try  to  write  behind  the  speaker,  if  any  other  place 
at  all  can  be  secured.  The  gallery  should  be  avoided  un- 


ONE  HUNDEED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

less  it  is  known  to  be  suitable  for  the  purpose.  In  making 
reports  of  conventions,  mass  meetings,  etc.,  a  seat  at  the 
same  table  with  the  secretary  is  the  most  suitable  place,  as 
he  generally  knows  the  names  of  all  who  take  part,  and  is 
also  able  to  give  other  information  necessary  to  a  full  re- 
port. 

The  court  reporter  will  be  more  likely  to  hear  every 
word  by  being  seated  between  the  judge  and  jury.  They 
are  generally  seated  near  each  other,  and  as  everything  of 
importance  is  intended  for  either  one  or  the  other  or  both, 
the  reporter  will  not,  by  being  between  them,  be  apt  to 
miss  anything  that  is  said. 

LXXIV.     Make  a  Noteot  Everything  That  Takes  Place 
as  well  as  What  Is  Said. 

To  make  a  report  intelligible  to  readers,  it  very  often 
becomes  necessary  to  explain  certain  things  which  occurred 
during  the  progress  of  the  meeting  of  which  a  report  is 
being  made.  Something  may  happen  to  call  forth  from  the 
speaker  an  expression  in  no  way  related  to  the  subject  under 
discussion,  or,  it  may  be,  cause  him  to  entirely  change  the 
coarss  of  his  remarks.  Unless  some  explanation  is  made 
to  chow  the  reason  for  this,  the  reporter  would  do  an  injus- 
tice t^tlie  spoaker.  A  certain  noted  lecturer,  referring  to 
the  fine  arts,  made  the  following  remark  while  addressing 
an  audience  in  ono  of  our  large  cities  :  "What  shall  I  say 
of  the  composition  of  Mozart? — Such  music  is  enough  to 
try  the  patience  of  the  gods. — The  tender  pathos,  the  soul 
stirring  strains,  the  sweet  harmony,  of  the  great  composers 
have  done  more  to  make  mankind  better,  than  all  the  cold 
philosophy  of  the  ages."  The  next  morning  the  news  was 


TO  SHOETHAND  STUDENTS. 

spread  abroad  that  Mr.  —  —  had  publicly  ridiculed  one 
of  the  great  masters,  while,  at  the  same  time,  pretending  to 
be  a  patron  of  classical  music.  A  word  of  explanation  by 
the  reporter  would  have  shown  that  the  disparaging  remark 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  discourse,  but  was 
caused  by  a  brass  band,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
bursting  out  at  that  very  moment,  in  a  most  indescribable 
discord  of  harsh  sounds. 

In  court  reporting  it  is  quite  necessary,  often  times,  to 
insert  explanatory  notes  in  order  to  explain  certain  state- 
ments made  by  the  witnesses.  Thus,  if  the  question  were 
asked,  "How  far  were  you  standing  from  Mr.  Mandel  when 
he  was  struck?"  and  the  answer  should  be,  "About  as  far  as 
from  here  to  the  stove,"  it  would  be  necessary  for  the  re- 
porter to  insert  in  parenthesis  a  statement  giving,  as  nearly 
as  possible,  the  distance  indicated. 

From  what  has  been  said  any  one  will  readily  see  the 
bearing  of  this  suggestion.  This  should  enable  one  to 
avoid  the  danger  of  difficulty  arising  from  lack  of  any 
needed  explanation. 

LXXV.     The  First  Time  a  Proper  Name  Occurs  Write 
It  in  Longhand. 

This  suggestion  should  be  followed  whenever  practica- 
ble, since  the  stenographic  outline  does  not  indicate  the 
spelling,  and  hence,  when  it  comes  to  transcribing,  many 
names,  if  written  in  Shorthand  only,  would  be  improperly 
spelled.  Once  writing  the  name  in  longhand  will,  how- 
ever, be  sufficient  for  each  report,  since  this  gives  the 
spelling,  after  which  it  is  perfectly  safe  to  write  it  in  Short- 
hand. When  it  is  impossible  to  write  out  the  word,  the 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

next  best  thing  to  do  is  to  carefully  vocalize  it.  This  should 
always  be  done,  especially  when  two  or  more  names  have 
the  same  outlines,  as  in  the  case  of  John,  Jane  and  Jean. 
The  only  way  these  names  could  be  distinguished  in  most 
systems  of  Shorthand  is  to  vocalize  them.  It  is  customary, 
among  most  Shorthand  reporters,  not  to  take  the  trouble  to 
underscore  proper  names  which  are  thus  vocalized. 

LXXVI.     The    Field  of    Court   Reporting   or  of  the 
Law    Amanuensis    Offers   the    Most    Excellent 
Opportunities    to    Those  Who   Contem- 
plate Entering  the  Legal  Profession. 

There  is  no  better  school  for  the  student  of  law  than  that 
of  court  reporting.  His  duties,  as  such,  bring  him  con- 
stantly in  contact  with  judges  and  skilled  practitioners. 
In  every  trial  which  he  reports,  he  sees  applied  in  prac- 
tice the  principles  which  he  has  learned  from  books,  and  has 
them  impressed  upon  his  mind  in  a  manner  which  no 
amount  of  reading  or  study  would  do.  His  opportunities 
to  become  well  versed  in  the  law  of  evidence,  a  most  im- 
portant branch  of  the  legal  profession,  are  unsurpassed. 
The  forms  and  methods  of  procedure  are  also  important, 
and  no  better  place  can  be  found  than  the  reporter  has 
for  becoming  familiar  with  them. 

As  an  amanuensis  in  a  good  law  office,  one  may  derive 
almost  as  much  profit  as  is  gained  by  the  court  reporter. 
The  fact  that  one  is  able  to  write  Shorthand  will  also  prove 
a  very  potent  factor  in  securing  a  preference  over  another 
who  cannot  report.  Many  a  young  man  has,  by  the  help  of 
Shorthand,  been  able  to  secure  a  good  position  in  some 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

large  law  office,  where  otherwise  he  would  have  had  no 
show  at  all. 

LXXVII.     The   Court    Reporter  Should   Understand 
Thoroughly  the  Nature  of  the  More  Ordinary  Rul- 
ings, Exceptions,  and  Objections  Made  Useof 
in    Court    Procedure,    so  as  to   Be  Able 
to  Make  Proper  Record  of  Them.* 

Next  in  importance  to  the  evidence  itself  is  the  record- 
ing of  objections,  which  are  made  from  time  to  time  to  its 
introduction,  or  to  any  proceeding  which  either  party  may 
consider  illegal.  The  grounds  upon  which  such  objections 
are  based  should  be  noted  by  the  reporter,  and  should  they 
not  be  stated  specifically,  the  counsel's  argument  in  pre- 
senting the  matter  to  the  court  should  be  taken  down. 
When  an  objection  is  decided,  the  exception,  if  any,  taken 
by  the  party  overruled,  should  also  be  recorded. 

Exceptions  are  also  taken  to  the  decisions  of  the  court 
in  sustaining  or  overruling  various  motions  submitted  in 
the  course  of  the  trial,  and  a  minute  should  be  made  of 
them  by  the  reporter. 

In  reporting  depositions,  objections  are  recorded  and 
testimony  taken  subject  thereto,  no  rulings  being  made,  or 
exceptions  taken  at  the  time. 

A  law  report  should  be,  as  nearly  as  possible,  a  photo- 
graph of  all  the  proceedings  had.  Hence  it  becomes  the 
reporter's  duty  to  make  a  minute  of  every  transaction 
which  has  a  bearing  on  the  case. 


*  NOTE.— This,  with  Suggestion  78,  were,  with  the  consent  of  the  author,  taken 
from  the  "  Reporting  Style  of  Shorthand." 


ONE   HUNDEED  VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

LXXVIII.     All   Exhibits  Introduced  in  Court  as  Part 

of  the  Evidence  Should  Be  Carefully  Marked  in 

the  Order  in  Which  They  Are  Produced. 

Written  documents,  as  deeds,  notes,  contracts,  mortgages, 
letters,  depositions,  etc.,  are  frequently  produced  in  court, 
and  make  a  part  of  the  evidence.  For  the  purpose  of 
identification,  and  convenience  in  making  references,  the 
same  should,  at  the  time,  be  marked  by  the  reporter  as  ex- 
hibit "A,"  "B,"  etc.,  according  to  the  order  in  which  they 
r.re  introduced.  The  paper  should  have  upon  it,  besides 
the  index  letter,  the  initials  of  the  parties  to  the  suit. 
This  prevents  ambiguity  in  the  cases  where  the  same  docu- 
ment has  already  been  marked  with  a  different  letter  as  an 
exhibit  in  another  case. 

As  part  of  evidence,  also,  knives,  rings,  keys,  photographs, 
or  any  articles  whatever  which  it  may  be  important  for  the 
court  or  jury  to  examine  are  from  time  to  time  introduced. 
These  may  be  marked  by  firmly  attaching  a  written  card  to 
them. 

The  reporter  should  be  careful  to  identify,  as  an  exhibit, 
every  article  or  document  offered  by  either  party,  whether 
or  not  the  same  is  actually  admitted  in  evidence  by  the 
court,  since  rejected  exhibits  are  necessary  to  complete  the 
appellant's  bill  of  exceptions. 

Half  the  value  of  a  law  report  is  lost  by  not  having  it 
properly  indexed.  The  paper  used  should  be  accurately 
paged,  and  each  separate  book  or  manuscript  numbered  in 
the  order  used. 

Reference  is  frequently  made,  and  the  reporter  ordered 
to  read  parts  of  testimony  taken  days,  or  even  weeks, 


TO    SHORTHAND    STUDENTS. 

previous.  This  can  be  done  only  by  means  of  a  running 
index,  which  is  kept  making  from  hour  to  hour,  just  as  the 
proceedings  take  place.  This  should  give  the  day  and  date 
of  each  session  of  court,  the  name  of  each  witness,  and  the 
page  where  his  testimony  and  cross-examination  begins. 

LXXIX.     In    Reporting    for    Newspapers,  Full  Notes 
Should  Always  BeTaken,  Though  Only  a  Con- 
densed  Report  May  Be  Required. 

Nowadays  only  brief  synopses  of  reports  are  printed. 
These  may  be  prepared  much  more  satisfactorily  when 
done  at  leisure  and  from  full  Stenographic  reports.  For 
this  reason  Shorthand  reporters  are  given  the  preference 
on  all  our  metropolitan  journals.  They  do  not,  as  a  rule, 
furnish  longer  reports,  but  the  fact  that  they  have  more 
opportunity  to  deliberate  upon  the  matter  enables  them  to 
use  better  judgment  in  deciding  just  what  portions  should 
be  made  use  of  and  what  should  be  rejected.  As  a  result 
they  are  enabled  to  furnish  much  more  acceptable  reports. 
They  also  have  full  notes  in  case  any  contingency  arises  in 
which  a  full  account  is  desired. 

The  newspaper  reporter  should  also  be  especially  well 
skilled  in  reading  Stenographic  notes,  since  reports  must 
often  be  taken  with  a  lead  pencil  on  unruled  paper,  and  not 
ttafrequently  when  the  writer  is  standing.  It  also  very 
often  occurs  that  reports  must  be  written  out  very  rapidly 
in  order  to  have  them  ready  for  the  next  issue  of  the  paper. 
No  time  is  allowed  on  such  occasions  for  puzzling  over 
notes.  The  newspaper  reporter,  if  he  would  make  a  success 
of  his  calling,  must  be  able  to  read,  without  meeting  with 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

too  many  difficult  points,  notes  taken  rapidly  and  under  all 
circumstances. 

LXXX.     In  Making  Reports  of  Public  Meetings,  Con- 
ventions. Etc.,  Where  Speeches  Are  Made  by  a 
Number  of  Persons,  Be  Careful  to  Make 
Note  of  Each  Speaker's  Name. 

The  reporter  can  best  do  this  by  securing  a  seat  near  the 
secretary,  who,  as  a  rule,  is  supposed  to  know  the  names  of 
all  who  take  part.  If,  in  reporting  the  proceedings  of  a 
conventicn  of  some  organized  body,  it  is  npt  possible  to 
learn  the  names  of  all  who  participate,  the  remarks  made 
by  each  speaker  whose  name  is  unknown  should  be  placed 
under  the  head  of  "A  Member." 

The  president  and  secretary  are  generally  designated  by 
their  official  titles  and  their  names  not  repeated  after  being 
given  at  the  beginning  of  the  report.  It  is  also  a  wise  plan 
to  get  a  list  of  the  names  of  all  the  members  of  organized 
bodies  so  as  to  be  able  to  properly  spell  each  name  in  making 
out  the  report  for  publication.  Such  a  list  may  always  be 
obtained  from  the  secretary. 

LXXXI.     In  Convention  Reporting,  Note  Carefully  All 

Motionsand  Resolutions  ExceptThose  in  Writing, 

Also  Amendments  Thereto,  and  Remarks 

and   Decisions  Thereupon. 

In  making  out  reports  of  all  kinds  of  public  meetings  it 
is  often  the  case  that  much  of  their  real  value  depends  upon 
matters  of  this  kind.  Since  most  of  the  regular  speeches 
are  generally  written  before  being  delivered,  the  greater 


TO    SHORTHAND    STUDENTS. 

part  of  the  reporter's  duties  will  be  to  record  the  remarks 
made  upon  them  and  the  unwritten  motions  and  resolutions 
and  discussions  which  they  call  forth. 

In  order  to  succeed  in  this,  several  special  qualifications 
are  necessary.  A  keen  and  cultivated  sense  of  hearing  is 
indispensable,  since  a  writer  is  often  required  to  take  down 
rapidly  the  remarks  of  different  members  located  in  various 
parts  of  a  large  assembly,  and  who  sometimes  follow  one 
another  in  quick  succession.  In  convention  reporting  more 
judgment,  editorial  ability,  and  a  previous  knowledge  of 
the  matter  in  hand  are  needed.  A  thorough  understanding 
of  parliamentary  rules  and  the  customs  of  deliberative 
assemblies  is  also  necessary  to  satisfactory  work  in  this 
line. 

The  best  way  to  properly  fit  one's  self  for  work  of  this 
kind  is  to  serve  for  awhile  as  an  assistant  to  some  experi- 
enced reporter,  from  whom  many  things  may  be  learned 
which  cannot  be  acquired  in  any  other  way. 

LXXXII.     In  Speech  Reporting,  Good  Sight  and  Hear- 
ing, as  well  as  Keen  Observation  and  Good 
Expression,  Are  Necessary. 

Under  the  general  head  of  speech  reporting  is  included 
the  various  kinds  of  public  addresses,  religious  debates, 
sermons,  etc.  In  order  to  make  a  success  in  this  field  some- 
thing more  than  that  which  may  be  gained  by  study  is  de- 
manded. The  natural  gifts  of  good  sight  and  hearing  are 
indispensable.  Keen  observation  is  another  essential,  and 
with  this  must  be  coupled  force  in  expression. 

Good  sight  is  necessary,  since  it  very  often  occurs  that 
the  eyes  will  have  to  endure  a  long  and  continuous  strain. 


ONE   HUNDRED  VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS 

Also,  in  transcribing,  the  sight  is  often  tried  to  its  utmost 
extent.  This  is  especially  true  when  pencil  notes  are  to  be 
read,  since  the  closest  scrutiny  must  be  made  of  almost 
every  word  in  copying  notes  of  this  kind,  and  unless  the 
eyes  are  strong  they  will  soon  fail. 

One  must  also  be  able  to  hear  well  enough  to  catch  dis- 
tinctly everything  uttered  by  the  speaker.  Any  defect  in 
this  respect  will  totally  unfit  the  reporter  for  work  of  this 
kind,  and  it  is  useless  to  try  to  substitute  any  other  quali- 
fication in  its  place. 

The  speech  reporter  must  also  be  continually  on  the  alert 
in  order  to  understand  not  only  what  is  said  but  also  the 
relation  of  the  different  points  made  by  the  speaker.  Un- 
less he  is  able  to  do  this,  when  he  comes  to  make  an  ab- 
stract of  what  he  has  written,  as  he  will  often  be  called 
upon  to  do,  he  will  be  apt  to  leave  out  many  important 
matters,  and  include  some  things  which  ought  to  be  omit- 
ted. 

LXXXIII.     Besides  Speed  the  Speech  Reporter  Must 
Possess  a  Fair  Knowledge  of  the  English  Lan- 
guage,  History,  and  the  Current 
Events  of  the  Day. 

Though  all  of  these  are  important,  the  latter  is  especially 
so.  Persons  of  an  enthusiastic  temperament,  who  are  fully 
awake  to  the  importance  of  current  changes,  and  interested 
in  the  living  political,  religious,  and  socialistic  issues  of 
the  day  are  far  the  best  fitted  for  reporting  public  speeches, 
for  these  relate  almost  constantly  to  such  matters.  The 
reporter  must  also  know  something  of  history  in  order  to 
understand  many  things  which  he  will  be  called  upon  to 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

report,  and  where  he  will  be  sure  to  fail  without  such 
knowledge.  He  must  understand  the  English  language  so 
that  he  may  be  able  to  write  out  his  reports  correctly. 

With  a  speed  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  words  per  minute,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  enough  general  information  to  understand  what 
he  is  reporting  and  to  transcribe  it  in  a  clear  and  concise 
manner,  and  with  sufficient  judgment  to  condense  when  it 
is  required,  without  omitting  any  of  the  salient  points,  the 
reporter  will  be  prepared  to  enter  a  field,  the  educational 
advantages  of  which  are  indeed  vast,  and  in  which  he  will 
find  every  opportunity  to  prepare  himself  for  a  higher 
professional  life. 

LXXXIV.     Every  Stenographer  Should  Prepare  Him- 
self to  Teach  Shorthand. 

The  demand  which  is  fast  becoming  universal  for  in- 
struction in  this  art,  and  the  lack  of  those  who  are  pre- 
pared to  teach,  make  it  possible  for  almost  every  reporter 
who  has  any  ability  at  all  in  this  direction  to  devote  his 
spare  time  in  a  very  profitable  way. 

The  qualifications  necessary  for  success  in  teaching  are 
a  good  general  education,  a  thorough  and  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  theory,  power  of  expression,  and  an  interest  in 
the  work.  The  division  of  the  work  is  two-fold,  the  first 
being  that  of  instruction  in  the  theory;  the  second,  that  of 
the  practical  application  of  the  art.  It  is  not  indispensa- 
ble .that  the  teacher  understand  anything  more  than  the 
theory  in  order  to  do  satisfactory  work  in  teaching  the 
mere  principles  of  the  art.  To  impart  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  the  reporting  business,  however,  it  is  necessary 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

that  the  teacher  should  not  only  understand  the  theory; 
but  that  he  should  also  be  an  adept  in,  at  least,  some  one 
branch  of  the  reportorial  calling. 

The  rapidly  increasing  demand  for  Shorthand  Amanuen- 
ses, the  large  number  who  wish  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  art  for  their  own  private  use,  and  the  fact  that  it  has 
lately  been  introduced  into  the  public  schools  in  many  of 
our  large  cities,  make  it  possible  for  a  large  number  to  find 
profitable  employment  by  devoting  a  part  of  their  time  to 
teaching. 

Apart  from  the  text  used,  the  teacher  will  be  able  to  de- 
rive much  help  in  his  work  from  the  various, suggestions 
in  this  little  volume.  A  careful  study  of  these  will  give  all 
the  special  preparation  necessary  to  enable  one  to  do  very 
satisfactory  work  as  a  teacher. 

LXXXV.  When  You  Are  Prepared  for  a  Situation  Do 
Not  Sit  Down  and  Wait  for  One  to  Come  to  You. 

There  are  three  ways,  any  one  of  which  the  young  re- 
porter may  adopt,  to  secure  a  position. 

In  the  first  place,  he  may  sit  down  and  wait  for  one  to 
seek  him  out.  This  is  liable  to  prove  rather  monotonous. 
We  have  known  reporters  to  be  almost  compelled  to  take 
positions  which  were  offered  them.  Such  cases,  however, 
are  far  from  being  the  rule. 

Another  plan  is  to  depend  upon  some  one  else  to  assist 
him.  It  may  be  some  friend  or  some  bureau  on  which  he 
places  his  dependence.  These,  at  best,  are  liable  to t  fail 
him.  Friends  are  rare,  indeed,  who  do  not  consult  their 
own  interests  first  and  will  only  remember  others  after 
they  have  secured  all  they  can  for  themselves. 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

A  third  plan  is  for  the  young  reporter  to  be  a  man,  and 
to  depend  upon  himself,  to  give  people  who  are  likely  to 
need  the  services  of  a  Stenographer  to  understand  that  he 
is  prepared  for  this  kind  of  work,  that  he  is  willing  to  do 
the  very  best  he  can,  and  is  determined  to  succeed.  Such 
a  spirit  will  win  confidence  and  respect  and  assure  the  pos- 
sessor of  an  early  opportunity  to  test  his  ability,  There 
are  plenty  of  places  waiting  for  some  energetic  man  or 
woman  to  push  into  them  and  to  make  a  success  in  them. 

LXXXVI.     Always  Be  on  Time. 

There  is  no  other  one  thing  that  will  do  more  towards 
commending  a  person  to  the  favor  of  people  than  prompt- 
ness in  attending  to  one's  duties.  This  is  the  case  in  every 
kind  of  business,  but  it  is  especially  true  of  the  reporter. 
In  most  occupations  in  which  a  person  is  serving  another, 
he  may  frequently  neglect  it  by  tardiness  and  no  one  sus- 
tain any  serious  loss.  "With  the  Stenographer,  however, 
there  are  more  of  other  people's  interests  dependent  upon 
him  than  almost  any  other  class  of  subordinates.  If  he  is 
an  amanuensis,  and  by  tardiness,  delays  his  employer's 
correspondence,  even  a  single  mail,  it  is  possible  he  may, 
by  such  neglect,  cause  the  loss  of  more  than  he  can  earn 
in  months  or  even  years. 

If  he  is  employed  in  the  courts,  or  is  to  make  a  report  of 
some  speech  or  convention,  he  may,  by  not  being  on  time, 
cause  these  to  be  adjourned  for  the  day,  involving  the  loss, 
it  may  be,  of  hundreds  of  dollars,  and,  what  is  far  worse, 
lose  his  reputation  as  a  prompt  and  reliable  reporter, 
which,  when  once  lost,  will  be  hard  to  win  back  again. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS. 

The  reporter  should  always  be  at  his  post  promptly,  and 
he  will  find  that  it  will  pay  him  well. 

,    LXXXVII.     Always  Be  Prepared  for  Work. 

Only  those  who  have  gone  into  the  court  room,  or  to  a 
lecture,  convention,  or  public  meeting,  and  found,  when 
about  to  begin  work,  that  they  had  brought  a  note-book 
already  filled,  or  made  some  similar  mistake,  will  appreci- 
ate the  value  of  this  suggestion.  These  little  things  are 
very  annoying,  and  are  likely  to  bring  a  reporter  into  dis- 
favor, if  they  occur  too  frequently.  No  reporter  should 
ever  set  out  to  do  any  kind  of  reporting  whatever  without 
first  examining  his  note-book  and  supply  of  pens  and  pen- 
cils. If  a  steel  pen  ia  used,  a  few  extra  pens  should  be 
kept  about  one's  person.  It  is  also  advisable  to  keep  a  few 
pencils  ready  sharpened  so  that  should  anything  occur  to 
necessitate  their  use  the  reporter  will  not  be  at  a  loss.  It 
is  advisable  also  that  some  sort  of  a  pocket  inkstand  be 
carried  by  the  reporter,  as  the  ink  usually  found  in  a  court 
room,  or  where  public  meetings  are  held,  is  generally  of 
the  vilest  sort  and  by  no  means  fit  to  use. 

The  careful  reporter  will  form  the  habit  of  always  look- 
ing after  these  small  yet  essential  things,. and  will  thus 
not  be  obliged  to  lose  the  report  of  some  important  pro- 
ceedings. 

LXXXVIII.     Use  a  Note-Book  Specially  Prepared  for 
Shorthand  Work. 

The  size  most  convenient  for  practical  work  is  one  about 
five  by  eight  inches,  opening  at  the  end  with  a  marginal 
ruling  about  an  inch  from  the  left  side.  In  ordinary  work 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS 

this  space  should  be  left  blank  so  as  to  give  room  for  inser- 
tions and  alterations  which  may  be  made  at  any  other  time. 
This  will  be  found  quite  convenient  for  the  amanuensis 
reporter,  who  will  often  be  called  upon  to  insert  some 
clause  in  the  body  of  a  letter  after  it  has  been  dictated,  or 
to  change  the  wording  upon  some  important  point.  Some 
reporters  make  allowances  for  such  changes  by  writing 
only  upon  every  other  line.  This,  of  course,  will  serve  the 
purpose,  but  it  is  an  unnecessary  waste  of  paper,  which,  in 
a  short  time,  will  amount  to  considerable. 

Note-books  bound  so  that  they  will  lie  flat  on  the  desk 
when  open  will  enable  the  writer  to  use  both  sides  of  a  leaf 
as  he  goes  along,  otherwise  it  would  be  necessary  to  use 
only  one  side  at  first,  and  then  turn  and  fill  the  other  half. 
This  latter  is  not  a  convenient  form  for  reference,  and 
should  be  avoided. 

Some  prefer  note-books  which  open  at  the  side.  Those 
opening  at  the  end,  however,  are  more  convenient,  since  it 
is  not  possible  to  have  a  book  opening  at  the  side  that  will 
lie  perfectly  level  when  open,  and,  as  a  result,  it  is  difficult 
to  write  near  the  end  of  lines  on  the  left  page,  or  the  be- 
ginning of  those  on  the  right. 

A  note-book  with  a  stiff  cover  will  be  found  the  most 
convenient.  It  keeps  the  paper  from  being  folded  or 
soiled,  and  when  occasion  requires  you  to  make  a  report 
with  no  better  place  than  your  knee  upon  which  to  place 
your  note-book,  you  will  still  have  a  level  surface  upon 
which  to  write. 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

LXXXIX.     Make  It  a  Point  to  Secure,  as  Nearly  as 
Possible,  the  Exact  Words  of  the  Speaker. 

Beginners  are  very  apt,  by  trying  to  get  every  word  be- 
fore it  is  possible  for  them  to  do  so,  to  fall  into  the  habit 
of  getting  a  portion  only  of  each  sentence.  A  few  entire 
sentences  missed  from  a  speech  will  not  prove  nearly  as 
fatal  to  a  good  report  as  to  have  the  latter  part  of  a  large 
number  of  sentences  wanting. 

Even  if  only  a  brief  report  is  desired,  it  is  much  better 
to  take  full  notes,  as  it  will  be  easier  to  prepare  it  from 
such  than  from  meagre  notes,  as  more  time  is  given  when 
transcribing  to  decide  upon  the  relative  importance  of  the 
different  parts  of  the  report.  No  effort  should  be  made, 
while  taking  notes,  to  correct  mere  verbal  errors  which  any 
speaker  is  liable  to  make.  Though  it  is  the  reporter's 
place  to  correct  all  evident  mistakes  thus  made,  it  can  be 
done  better  while  making  the  transcript. 

As  a  rule,  take  down  everything  just  as  neany  as  possi- 
ble as  it  is  said,  and  then,  whether  a  full  or  only  a  con- 
densed report  is  wanted,  plenty  of  material  will  be  at  hand 
from  which  to  draw. 

XC.     Accustom  Yourself  to    Inconveniences   in   Re- 
porting. 

If  you  expect  to  engage  in  general  reporting  rather  than 
to  confine  yourself  to  any  particular  line  of  the  work,  you 
will  find  it  quite  necessary  to  accustom  yourself  to  put  up 
with  all  sorts  of  inconveniences.  Especially  in  general 
newspaper  work,  you  will  often  times  be  called  upon  to , 
write  in  unusual  places  where  there  is  everything  possible 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

to  contend  with.  It  may  be  that  you  will  have  to  write 
with  your  note-book  upon  your  knee,  or  make  use  of  some 
other  person's -back.  You  may  find  it  necessary  to  use 
poor  ink  on  poor  paper,  or  a  hard  lead  pencil  on  finely  cal- 
endered paper.  It  may  so  happen  that  you  will  be  obliged 
to  write  in  almost  total  darkness.  In  order  to  succeed  you 
must  be  prepared  to  meet  all  such  emergencies.  No  mat- 
ter how  careful  you  may  be  or  how  hard  you  may  endeavor 
to  avoid  such  things,  they  will  occasionally  occur,  and  the 
only  way  is  to  keep  your  wits  about  you  and  make  the  best 
of  them.  Those  who  are  able  to  do  so  are  the  ones  who 
are  sure  to  succeed. 

XCI.     Any   part  of  a    Report  Which    is    Indistinctly 

Heard  Should  Be  Marked  by  Some  Sign  to 

Indicate  the  Uncertainty. 

A  vertical  line  drawn  beside  that  which  is  not  distinctly 
heard  will  be  sufficient  to  call  the  attention  to  that  part 
afterwards.  Where  any  portion  is  entirely  lost,  a  space 
should  be  left  for  it,  and  a  similar  sign  used  to  indicate 
that  there  is  something  to  be  supplied. 

When  anything  of  this  kind  occurs,  the  reporter  should, 
before  making  a  transcript  of  the  report,  endeavor  to  obtain 
what  was  omitted  or  to  ascertain  the  exact  reading  of  any 
doubtful  passages.  If  other  reporters  have  made  a  report 
of  the  same  proceedings,  help  may  be  obtained  from  them. 
If  not,  the  speaker,  a  part  of  whose  speech  was  lost,  may 
be  consulted.  If  neither  of  these  courses  is  open,  it  may 
be  posible  to  obtain  the  desired  information  from  some  one 
who  was  in  attendance  and  who  is  known  to  be  an  attentive 
listener.  It  is  always  better,  of  course,  to  be  able  to  make 
such  a  report  that  help  of  this  kind  will  not  be  needed. 


ONE    HUNDEED   VALUABLE   SUGGESTIONS. 

XCII.     In  Transcribing  Always  Read  a  Full  Sentence 
Before  Beginning  to  Write. 

In  translating,  much  help  is  derived  from  the  context. 
This  being  the  case,  it  is  quite  necessary  that  a  full  sen- 
tence be  read,  and  often  times  even  more  than  this,  in  order 
to  be  sure  of  the  meaning. 

Beginners  who  have  not  acquired  a  capacity  to  retain 
more  than  a  few  words  in  the  mind  at  once  are  very  apt  to 
fall  into  the  habit  of  translating  and  then  transcribing  only 
very  short  sentences  or  parts  of  long  sentences  at  a  time. 
In  this  way  they  are  liable  to  make  many  mistakes,  and  to 
give  translations  entirely  different  from  what  was  intended. 

A  few  experiences  of  this  kind  will  be  sufficient  to  im- 
press upon  the  young  reporter's  mind  the  necessity  of 
looking  ahead.  He  may,  however,  avoid  all  difficulty  in 
this  direction  by  heeding  this  suggestion  and  profiting  by 
the  experience  of  those  who  have  made  similar  mistakes. 

XCIII.    If,  When  Transcribing,  Some  Portions  of  Your 

Notes  Puzzle  You,  Leave  Spaces  and  Go  on,  and 

When  You  Get  the  full  Sense  it  Will  Be 

Much  Easier  to  Decipher  Them. 

The  best  reporters,  like  many  longhand  writers,  will 
sometimes  get  puzzled  over  some  inaccurately  formed 
character  or  outline  or  some  sign  which  may  be  translated 
in  different  ways,  each  way  making  complete  sense.  When 
a  case  of  this  kind  occurs,  it  will  be  better  to  leave  the 
difficult  part  for  the  time  being,  since,  after  reading  the 
balance  of  the  letter  or  paper  and  having  its  complete 
sense,  the  chances  are  that  the  difficult  passage  can  be 
easily  read.  It  will  be  found  that  the  most  difficulty  is 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

caused  by  outlines  that  may  be  translated  in  more  than  one 
way.  Such  ambiguities  may  be  avoided  by  always  vocal- 
izing outlines  likely  to  conflict  with  others.  Although  it  is 
hard  for  the  beginner,  whea  struggling  to  keep  up  with  a 
speaker,  to  always  think  just  what  outlines,  if  not  vocalized, 
are  liable  to  cause  difficulty,  yet  a  little  attention  tc  this 
point  will  soon  enable  him  to  see  instantly  just  where  there 
is  danger  of  ambiguity,  so  that  some  distinguishing  vowel 
may  be  inserted  and  all  cause  for  doubt  removed. 

XCIV.      In   Making  Transcripts,  Write  Only  on  One 
Side  of  the  Paper. 

Especially  in  preparing  legal  documents,  and  in  writing 
up  reports  for  publication,  only  one  side  of  the  paper 
should  be  used.  Business  men  also  generally  prefer  that 
only  one  side  of  the  paper  be  written  upon. 

If  a  letter  contains  more  than  can  be  written  on  a  single 
sheet,  it  is  best,  in  order  to  avoid  confusion,  to  place  at  the 
head  of  the  second  and  following  pages  the  name  of  the 
person  to  whom  the  letter  is  written,  and  after  this  the 
number  of  the  page.  Thus,  in  transcribing  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Evans,  the  second  page  should  be  headed 

Evans,  2, 
and  the  letter  continue  immediately  below  it. 

Sometimes  it  may  occur  that  the  person  for  whom  the 
work  is  done  may  wish  certain  letters  to  be  written  on  both 
sides  of  the  paper.  Such  cases  are  generally  specified. 
Unless  they  are,  one  side  only  should  be  used. 

XCV.      Make   All    Your    Memoranda  in   Shorthand. 

As  soon  as  you  are  able  to  apply  all  the  principles  cor- 
rectly, you  can  not  do  better  than  to  make  all  your  mem- 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

oranda  in  Shorthand.  This  will  help  you  in  several  ways. 
It  will  develop  confidence  in  your  work,  a  thing  which 
most  beginners  are  very  apt  to  lack.  By  making  note  of 
items  upon  which  something  of  importance  depends,  and 
trusting  wholly  to  your  notes  for  them,  you  will  soon  find 
yourself  feeling  just  as  certain  of  their  meaning  as  you 
would,  were  they  written  in  longhand,  a  feeling  which  you 
must  have,  if  you  would  make  a  successful  reporter.  You 
will  also  have  your  private  memoranda  and  accounts  in 
such  a  form  that,  should  they  be  lost  or  mislaid  and  happen 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  others,  no  advantage  ordinarily 
could  be  taken  of  them.  Another  advantage  to  be  derived 
from  such  a  habit  is  in  the  constant  practice  which  it 
gives.  All  are  aware  of  the  impression  which  most  people 
have  that  unless  one  is  continually  practicing  the  art  it 
will  soon  be  forgotten.  This  is  true  only  in  part,  and  even 
this  slight  objection  may  be  removed  by  using  Shorthand 
for  all  private  memoranda  and  note  taking.  By  using  it 
in  this  way  the  young  Stenographer  will  soon  find  that  not 
a  day  will  pass  during  which  he  will  not  have  some  occa- 
sion to  make  use  of  it,  and  by  so  doing  will  not  allow  him- 
self to  get  rusty  in  the  work. 

The  greatest  advantage,  however,  of  forming  the  habit 
of  using  Shorthand  in  making  memoranda  is  that,  since  it 
can  be  done  so  easily  and  rapidly,  one  is  far  more  apt  to 
note  down  many  little  things  which,  were  it  necessary  to 
write  them  out  in  longhand,  would  be  neglected  altogether. 
Since  it  pays,  and  pays  well,  to  look  after  the  little  things, 
that  which  will  make  it  possible  to  do  so  without  too  much 
inconvenience  is  certainly  worthy  of  some  special  attention. 


TO  SHORTHAND  STUDENTS. 

XCVI.     Numbers  Are  Generally  Represented   by  the 
Ordinary  Figures  or  Numerals. 

As  a  rule  it  will  be  found  best  to  write  all  numbers  with 
the  ordinary  figures,  though  sometimes  it  will  be  shorter 
to  express  a  number  with  Shorthand  characters.  It  will 
generally  be  found  easier  to  write  round  numbers,  as  hun- 
dreds, thousands,  or  millions,  in  this  way.  Where  a  num- 
ber contains  different  units,  as  for  instance,  tens,  hundreds 
and  thousands,  it  will  be  easier,  and  the  notes  plainer,  to 
write  the  ordinary  Roman  numerals.  Some  reporters 
never  write  a  figure  at  all  in  their  Shorthand  notes,  while 
others  use  them  exclusively.  The  majority  of  reporters, 
however,  use  both  forms. 

XCVII.      Preserve   Carefully   All    Shorthand    Notes. 

If  you  are  a  Court  reporter,  your  notes  should  be  indexed, 
and  filed  away  by  the  clerk  of  the  court  in  which  the  re- 
ports are  made.  If  a  transcript  is  made,  it  is  not  so  essen- 
tial that  the  original  report  be  preserved.  If  not  tran- 
scribed, they  should,  in  all  cases,  be  carefully  filed  away, 
since  it  is  never  possible  to  tell  what  contingencies  may 
arise.  A  transcript  may  never  be  called  for;  again,  some- 
thing may  take  place,  years  after  a  report  has  been  made, 
which  will  cause  it  to  ba  of  great  value.  To  meet  all  such 
contingencies  it  is  quite  essential  that  all  reports  of  legal 
proceedings  should  be  preserved. 

The  Amanuensis  reporter  should  adopt  some  convenient 
form  of  note-book,  and,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  adhere 
to  it  These  should  be  carefully  indexed.  This  index 
should  show  name,  date,  and  page  on  which  each  letter  is 
written.  "When  a  book  is  filled,  the  date  of  the  first  and 


ONE   HUNDRED   VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

last  letter  contained  within  it  should  be  marked  on  the 
back.  Some  keep  a  general  index  book,  showing,  first,  the 
names  in  alphabetical  order  of  all  parties  to  whom  letters 
have  been  taken  at  dictation.  Opposite  the  name  is  placed, 
first,  the  number  of  the  note-book,  and  under  each  of  these 
are  given  the  different  pages  on  which  letters  have  been 
written  to  that  particular  person.  It  is  not  difficult  to  so 
index  note-books,  and  much  time  may  be  saved  thereby. 
As  the  reporter  is  generally  expected  to  look  after  such 
things  himself,  he  ought  to  adopt  some  definite  and  prac- 
tical plan,  and  then  not  neglect  it,  as  is  too  often  done. 

With  all  note-books  carefully  indexed  and  filed  away, 
one  may  in  a  moment's  time,  refer  to  all  the  letters  written 
to  any  party.  As  business  men  often  have  to  refer  to 
letters  written  at  some  previous  time,  they  will  fully  ap- 
preciate an  arrangement  by  which  they  may  readily  refer 
to  any  particular  one  they  may  wish  to  see. 

In  Speech  and  Convention  reporting,  it  is  not  so  impor- 
tant that  the  notes  be  preserved;  yet  even  with  these  it  often 
occurs  that  an  old  report  will  be  called  for,  and  may  prove 
to  be  worth  far  more  than  the  little  time  required  to  keep 
on  file  all  the  reports  you  have  ever  made. 

XCVIII.     Take  Some  Shorthand  Magazine. 

In  this  way  you  will  be  able  to  see  the  work  of  the  best 
writers,  and  to  get  a  fair  idea  of  what  actual  reporting 
looks  like.  You  will  also  have  an  opportunity  to  practice 
upon  the  work  of  others.  This  is  a  valuable  exercise  for 
the  student,  since  it  not  only  enables  him  to  read  Short- 
hand writing  more  readily,  but,  being  matter  that  is  cor- 
rectly written,  it  enables  him  to  correct  many  mistakes 


TO   SHOKTHAND    STUDENTS. 

which  he  is  in  the  habit  of  making,  and  also  recalls  many 
points  which  would  otherwise  be  forgotten.  Almost  every 
one  of  these  magazines  contains,  besides  the  Shorthand 
matter,  much  valuable  information  for  the  student  in  the 
line  of  editorials,  contributed  articles,  and  general  Short- 
hand news.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  ably  edited  and  well 
worth  the  small  price  asked  for  them.  In  keeping  alive 
an  interest  in  this  really  beautiful  study,  a  good  Shorthand 
journal  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  a  teacher.  It  is 
sure  to  create  a  deeper  interest  in  the  study,  since  it  brings 
all  its  readers  into  closer  sympathy,  and  enables  them  to 
reap  the  benefits  of  each  other's  experience.  From  close 
observation  I  have  found  that  those  who  have  become 
readers  of  a  Shorthand  journal  are  much  less  apt  to  become 
discouraged  and  give  up  the  study.  It  is  a  constant  source 
of  encouragement  and  inspiration  to  better  and  more 
thorough  work,  which,  in  the  end,  is  sure  to  bring  success. 
No  Shorthand  student  should  hesitate  for  a  moment  about 
availing  himself  of  the  advantages  which  will  certainly  be 
derived  from  help  of  this  kind. 

XCIX.      Become    a    Member    of    Some    Circulating 
Library  or  Book  Exchange  Club. 

The  average  reporter  never  dreams  of  how  much  there 
really  is  in  the  literature  of  Shorthand,  and  of  the  many 
interesting  things  there  are  connected  with  its  history.  If 
you  would  fully  appreciate  the  progress  that  has  been  made, 
and  which  is  daily  being  carried  further,  you  should  give 
some  attention  to  the  literature  of  the  art.  To  have  a 
proper  appreciation  of  the  profession  of  which  you  are  a 
member,  you  must  understand  its  history,  and  know  some- 


ONE  HUNDRED  VALUABLE  SUGGESTIONS 

thing  of  its  struggles  and  its  triumphs.  Until  you  do  this, 
your  views  will  be  narrow  and  your  efforts  restricted. 

As  it  is  a  slow  and  expensive  task  to  accumulate  a  large 
and  well  selected  library  on  any  subject,  very  few  are  able 
to  do  so.  Shorthand  writers  need  not,  however,  be  deprived 
of  the  privilege  of  enjoying  all  that  has  been  written  con- 
cerning the  art.  By  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunities 
offered  by  some  circulating  library  which  has  been  estab- 
lished for  the  benefit  of  Shorthand  writers,  one  may  for  a 
very  small  sum,  have  access  to  almost  any  work  that  has 
ever  been  published  on  the  subject  of  brief  writing. 

The  American  Exchange  Club  is,  no  doubt,  the  best  of 
the  kind.  The  catalogue  contains  a  very  large  list  of  rare 
and  valuable  books  and  magazines,  any  of  which  may  be 
had  by  members  of  the  club. 

C.     Avoid   the    Evil    Effects   of   Such  Stimulants  as 
Tobacco  and  Strong  Drink. 

Success  in  Shorthand  writing,  like  success  in  any  other 
of  the  finer  manual  arts,  depends  primarily  upon  the 
healthy  action  of  the  nervous  system.  It  is  important, 
then,  that  the  reporter,  requiring,  as  he  does,  clearness  of 
thought  with  rapidity  of  execution,  should  carefully  avoid 
anything  that  tends  to  throw  the  nervous  system  out  of  its 
natural  condition.  Since  the  chief  effect  of  alcohol  is 
upon  the  nerves,  caused  by  its  being  an  irritant  and  retard- 
ing digestion,  by  affecting  the  cardinal  nerves  and  increas- 
ing the  rapidity  of  the  circulation,  and  by  being  a  cerebral 
poison,  thus  affecting  the  reason,  it  should  be  scrupulously 
avoided  by  the  reporter.  Though  it  may  result  sometimes 
in  arousing  one  to  greater  activity  and  greater  efforts  for 


TO   SHORTHAND   STUDENTS. 

the  time  being,  yet  this  temporary  exaltation  of  the  brain 
under  its  influence  is  inevitably  succeeded  by  a  state  of 
relaxation  which  soon  ends  in  nervous  and  physical  de- 
bility. 

The  effect  of  tobacco,  though  not  so  great,  is  in  the  same 
direction.  It  is  an  unhealthy  stimulant,  the  evil  effects 
greatly  overbalancing  the  little  apparent  good  that  may  be 
derived  from  its  use.  The  reporter  who  rigidly  abstains 
from  the  use  of  both  tobacco  and  alcohol  may  be  assured 
that  his  chances  of  success  are  much  greater  than  the  one 
addicted  to  them. 


Note. — The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  words  in  each 
suggestion  in  the  book.  This  is  given  for  the  purpose  of  speed 
work  in  practice. 


I 

227 

XXVI 

368 

LI 

203 

LXXVI 

192 

II 

296 

XXVII 

278 

LII 

275 

LXXVII 

179 

III 

221 

XXVIII 

185 

LIII 

207 

LXXVIII 

291 

IV 

386 

XXIX 

99 

LIV 

22^ 

LXXIX 

212 

V 

160 

XXX 

317 

LV 

273 

LXXX 

143 

VI 

196 

XXXI 

218 

LVI 

229 

LXXXI 

200 

VII 

169 

XXXII 

440 

LVII 

302 

LXXXII 

261 

VIII 

309 

XXXIII 

266 

LVIII 

103 

LXXXIII 

198 

IX 

443 

XXXIV 

257 

LIX 

97 

LXX  XIV 

283 

X 

375 

XXXV 

136 

LX 

319 

LXXXV 

224 

XI 

118 

XXXVI 

258 

LXI 

403 

LXXXVI 

214 

XII 

229 

XXXVII 

408 

LXII 

215 

LXXX  VII 

210 

XIII 

302 

XXXVIII 

145 

LXIII 

173 

LXXXVIII 

315 

XIV 

164 

XXXIX 

224 

LXIV 

211 

LXXXIX 

193 

XV 

408 

XL 

324 

LXV 

166 

XC 

188 

XVI 

372 

XLI 

207 

LXVI 

264 

XCI 

167 

XVII 

240 

XLII 

194 

LXVII 

161 

XCII 

148 

XVIII 

252 

XLIII 

333 

LXVIII 

146 

XCIII 

179 

XIX 

230 

XLIV 

262 

LXIX 

109 

XCIV 

149 

XX 

388 

XLV 

221 

LXX 

218 

xcv 

331 

XXI 

246 

XLVI 

410 

LXXI 

206 

XCVI 

99 

XXII 

296 

XLVII 

328 

LXXII 

189 

XCVII 

389 

XXIII 

177 

XL  VIII 

171 

LXXIII 

239 

XCVIII 

266 

XXIV 

107 

XLIX 

239 

LXXIV 

343 

XCIX 

226 

XXV 

239 

L 

183 

LXXV 

146 

c 

215 

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"  Keep  thy  Crown : ''  Phonographic  report  of  temperance  speech. 

Vocabulary  and  contractions. 

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THE  REPORTING  STYLE 


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BENN  PITMAN  AND  JEROME  B,  HOWARD, 


A  revised  and  improved   edition  of  Benn  Pitman's   Manual   of 

Phonography,  which  was  first  published  in  1855, 

and  has  since  been 

THE  STANDARD  TEXT-BOOK  OF  PHONOGRAPHY 

In  America.  One  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  copies  of  the 
old  edition  were  issued,  and  since  the  publication  of  the  revision 
in  the  summer  of  1885,  sixty-five  thousand  copies  hav  been 
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235,000    OOIFIIES. 

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THIRD  EDITION.— COPYRIGHTED. 

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PRACTICAL  TYPEWRITING 

By  BATES  TORREY. 


This  work  teaches  The  All  Finger  Method.    This  is  the 

PIONEER   TEXT-BOOK  in  the  NEW  ERA 

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•WZELITIHSTG-    IBY    TOTJOH. 

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Utility  of  the  Writing  Machine  (opinions  of  notable  people'.— Typewriters  and  Type- 
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All-Finger  Method.— Writing  by  Touch  Foreshadowed.  — Advice  of  an  Expert. 

Position  at  Machine  —The  Touch.— Finger  Action.— General  Remarks.— Lesson  I.— First 
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Diagram  of  Key  Board'.— Finger  Exercises.— Right  and  Left  Hand  Practice.— Graded 
Word8.—Coimiton  Words.— Pertinent  Advice.— Prefixes  and  Affixes. 

Curious  Combinations.  —  Illustrative  Words.  —  The  Numerals.  —  Tabular  Work  with 
Full  Explanation.  —  Miscellaneous  Words  Figured.— Commercial,  Legal,  and  Ana- 
tomical Terms.— McGurrin's  List. 

Simple  Sentence  Practice.— Proximity.— Chain  Sentences. — Touch  Practice.— Testimony 
and  Rhyme.— Forms  for  Letter,  Billhead,  etc. 

General  Instruction,  Care  of  Machine. — Advice  about  Everything  Allied  to  Typewriters 
and  Their  Work.— Particular  Instruction.— The  Minutiae  of  Typewriter  Management 
—Expedients  and  How  Managed.—  Numerous  Devices.— Additional  Matter  of  Im- 
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Typewriting  by  Mail.— Common-sense  Punctuation. — Use  of  the  Stops  as  Applied  to 
Writing  Machine.— Eccentricities  of  Typewriter  Punctuation.— A  Scheme  of  Abbrevi- 
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A  Chapter  of  Ornamental  Typewriting.— Fancy  Borders,  Tail  Pieces,  and  the  Like.— 
Titles,  Captions,  Legal  Forms,  and  Otherwise.— A  Variety  of  Writing  Machine  Possi- 
bilities. 


If  you  expect  to  make  a  success  of  typewriting,  do  not  fail  to  secure 
a  copy  of  this  book.  It  is  highly  recommended  by  every  professional 
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Price,  Elegantly  Bound  in  Cloth,  Postpaid,  $1.50. 
Address  S.  A.  MOB  AN,          Ami  Arbor,  Michigan. 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFOKJNiA 
AT 

T  no     A  XTOT7T  f  C 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


WAY  12 1951 
WG2 


Form  L9-25m-9,'47(A5618)444 


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1890 


0.  BAKER 
,AWY£R 

LAS,  TEXAS 


